Few artists in modern pop have undergone as many reinventions as Miley Cyrus, and each era has delivered some of the most memorable best Miley Cyrus songs in contemporary music. From the bubblegum country-pop of her Hannah Montana days to the arena-ready rock swagger of Plastic Hearts and the gleaming pop perfection of Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus has never stayed still long enough to be defined by a single sound. What remains consistent is her voice — an instrument of remarkable range, grit, and emotional depth that few of her peers can match. This list covers 20 essential tracks that capture the full scope of her artistry, spanning nearly two decades of chart hits, deep cuts, and unexpected collaborations. Whether a longtime fan or a curious newcomer, these songs make a compelling case for why Miley Cyrus remains one of the most important voices in popular music.
Flowers (2023)
Released as the lead single from Endless Summer Vacation, “Flowers” arrived in January 2023 and immediately became a cultural phenomenon, debuting at number one in multiple countries and breaking several Spotify streaming records in its first week. The production, handled by Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack alongside Cyrus herself, is a masterclass in polished pop restraint — a mid-tempo groove built around a propulsive bass line, shimmering electric guitar, and a mix that lets every element breathe without ever crowding Cyrus’s vocal. Lyrically, the song pivots the sentiment of Bruno Mars’s “When I Was Your Man” into a declaration of radical self-sufficiency, and the way Cyrus delivers the chorus with measured confidence rather than raw emotion makes the statement land even harder. On headphones, the stereo separation on the guitar figures during the pre-chorus is genuinely satisfying, a small production detail that rewards close listening. It stands as perhaps the most complete pop single of her career.
Wrecking Ball (2013)
Produced by Lukasz Gottwald and Sacha Skarbek, “Wrecking Ball” remains the emotional centerpiece of the Bangerz era and one of the most powerful ballads of the 2010s. The arrangement is deceptively simple — piano, programmed percussion, and a wall of layered vocal harmonies during the chorus — and that simplicity forces all attention onto Cyrus’s performance, which is raw in the best possible sense. The way her voice cracks on the word “walls” in the final chorus is not a flaw; it is the entire point of the record. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and demonstrated that Cyrus had the vocal and emotional chops to compete in the upper tier of pop balladeers alongside artists with far longer critical pedigrees. Anyone who dismissed her at the time owed that performance a second listen.
Party in the U.S.A. (2009)
Written by Claude Kelly and Dr. Luke and released on the The Time of Our Lives EP, “Party in the U.S.A.” may be the most purely enjoyable three and a half minutes in Cyrus’s catalog. The production captures that particular late-2000s radio pop sweet spot — a fat synth-bass drop, handclap percussion, and a chorus hook so efficient it almost feels unfair. What elevates it beyond standard teen-pop is the specificity of the lyrical detail: the image of nodding your head like “yeah” and moving your hips like “yeah” is genuinely evocative of the slightly disorienting thrill of arriving somewhere new. Heard in the car on a summer afternoon, it is close to unstoppable. The song reached number two on the Hot 100 and has endured as one of the defining pop anthems of its era.
The Climb (2009)
Featured on the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack in 2009, “The Climb” operates as a motivational anthem but avoids the genre’s most common pitfall — it never feels generic. Co-written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, the song builds from a restrained acoustic verse into a full orchestral chorus with genuine emotional momentum, and Cyrus’s voice, already showing the lower, smokier register that would define her later work, carries the melody with authority. The bridge in particular demonstrates real dynamic control, pulling back to near-silence before the final chorus resolution. It reached number four on the Hot 100 and became one of the best-selling singles of that year. Even heard outside the context of a Disney film, the track holds up as a well-constructed piece of inspirational pop songwriting.
Midnight Sky (2020)
Co-written and co-produced by Cyrus alongside Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, “Midnight Sky” is the sound of an artist fully inhabiting a new aesthetic identity. The production lifts the circular synth figure from Stevie Nicks’s “Edge of Seventeen” — a choice cleared with Nicks herself — and builds it into something that feels genuinely cinematic rather than merely derivative. The vocal is delivered with a cool, detached confidence that suits the lyric’s theme of self-liberation perfectly, and the mix is notably wide, designed to reward listening on quality over-ear headphones where the layered guitar and synth textures can fully separate. It is among the finest things on the Plastic Hearts album and a strong argument for Cyrus as a serious rock and pop auteur rather than simply a reinvention-as-spectacle artist.
Angels Like You (2020)
From Plastic Hearts, “Angels Like You” is the album’s most emotionally direct moment and a striking departure from the surrounding rock-inflected material. Written by Cyrus with Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, the song is a slow-burn acoustic ballad that centers on a relationship in which both parties recognize their fundamental incompatibility. The production keeps things deliberately sparse — acoustic guitar, restrained percussion, and a cello arrangement in the final section that adds weight without melodrama. Cyrus’s vocal here is among her most controlled performances on record, leaning into the lower part of her range to communicate weariness and tenderness simultaneously. The lyrical honesty is remarkable, framing the narrator as genuinely complicit in harm rather than simply victimized, which gives the song a moral complexity unusual in mainstream pop.
We Can’t Stop (2013)
The lead single from Bangerz, “We Can’t Stop” announced the post-Hannah Montana reinvention with considerable commercial force, reaching number two on the Hot 100. Produced by Mike Will Made It, the track arrived with a production sensibility rooted firmly in Atlanta trap — slow-rolling hi-hats, bass-heavy low end, and a mix optimized for large speakers rather than radio earbuds. What makes it interesting beyond the cultural moment is how well Cyrus actually inhabits the sonic template; her drawling, unhurried delivery on the verses suits the production’s tempo rather than fighting against it. The song established a new commercial lane for Cyrus and signaled that her transition from teen-pop into adult contemporary music would be handled on her own terms rather than those of the industry.
Used to Be Young (2023)
Released as a standalone single in August 2023, “Used to Be Young” is one of the most mature and emotionally intelligent pieces of writing in Cyrus’s catalog. Co-written by Cyrus alongside Leland and Jon Bellion, the song is a direct reckoning with her public past — the controversies, the reinventions, the performances that defined an era — delivered not with defensiveness or regret but with something closer to gratitude and hard-won perspective. The production is understated and deliberate, anchored by piano and a gentle string arrangement that never overwhelms the vocal, which is given space to breathe and carry the full weight of the lyric. For longtime fans who followed the Hannah Montana years, the song lands with particular force; for new listeners, it functions as an introduction to an artist with more interior depth than her reputation sometimes suggests.
Prisoner (feat. Dua Lipa) (2020)
The collaboration between Cyrus and Dua Lipa on “Prisoner” from Plastic Hearts is one of the most successful pop duets of the early 2020s, pairing two artists at the peak of their respective creative periods. Produced by Tyson Trax and Oak Felder, the track is anchored by a locked-groove riff that owes a clear debt to late-1970s arena rock, while the vocal interplay between Cyrus and Lipa creates a genuine sense of two distinct personalities occupying the same sonic space. Lipa’s cooler, more ethereal tone contrasts with Cyrus’s grittier attack in ways that make both voices sound better than they would in isolation. Checking out more quality pop collaborations and standout duets is easy enough by browsing the GlobalMusicVibe songs archive, where dozens of similar discoveries await.
Heart of Glass (2020)
Miley Cyrus’s live cover of Blondie’s 1979 classic “Heart of Glass,” captured during the Plastic Hearts era and included on the album as a studio recording, is one of the most successful rock cover versions in recent memory. Rather than simply reproducing the original’s disco-pop architecture, Cyrus and her production team — Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon again — reframe the track in a harder-edged rock arrangement that draws out the song’s inherent melancholy. The vocal is outstanding, demonstrating Cyrus’s ability to deliver Debbie Harry’s phrasing with her own signature rasp without losing the delicacy required by the melody’s upper register passages. It is the rare cover that illuminates something new in a familiar song rather than merely trading on nostalgia.
Adore You (2013)
Released from Bangerz in late 2013, “Adore You” functions as the album’s emotional counterweight to the louder, more provocative material surrounding it. Produced by Pharrell Williams and Mike Will Made It, the track is built on a minimalist R&B framework — sparse percussion, a bed of warm synthesizers, and careful attention to the space between notes. Cyrus’s vocal is genuinely affecting here, particularly in the lower mid-register passages where the production gives her room to sit in the groove rather than push over it. The song reached the top twenty on the Hot 100 and remains a favorite among fans who followed the album closely. It holds up as evidence that even in the midst of Cyrus’s most theatrical public period, her instinct for intimate songwriting remained intact.
Mother’s Daughter (2019)
Released as part of the SHE IS COMING EP in 2019, “Mother’s Daughter” is a statement of purpose delivered with genuine musical aggression. Produced by Andrew Watt and produced in a hard rock framework with distorted guitar, punchy drum programming, and a vocal that deliberately courts harshness over prettiness, the song is Cyrus at her most confrontational. The lyrical content addresses body autonomy, gender expression, and self-definition with the directness of a punk manifesto filtered through pop production, and the bridge section builds to a genuinely cathartic release. It is not an easy listen in the sense that it demands engagement rather than passive appreciation, but that difficulty is entirely intentional and appropriate to the subject matter.
Malibu (2017)
Written almost entirely by Cyrus herself and released as a standalone single in May 2017, “Malibu” represented a significant course correction after the more maximalist provocations of the Bangerz and Dead Petz eras. The production is sun-drenched acoustic pop with light electric guitar accents, a rolling percussion pattern, and a mix that feels genuinely warm rather than clinically polished. The lyrical subject — a relationship that brought Cyrus peace rather than conflict — is delivered with sincerity rather than irony, and the result is one of the most purely pleasurable listening experiences in her catalog. It reached the top ten in multiple countries and demonstrated that Cyrus’s range extends comfortably into the quieter end of the pop spectrum. For audiophiles, it rewards listening on quality earbuds that can resolve the fine acoustic guitar detail in the right channel.
Slide Away (2019)
Released as a standalone single in August 2019, “Slide Away” was widely interpreted as a direct response to Cyrus’s high-profile breakup with Liam Hemsworth, though the song stands entirely on its own musical merits without requiring biographical context. The production by Cyrus and Andrew Watt is rooted in classic rock balladry — clean electric guitar, programmed drums with a live feel, and a vocal that prioritizes emotional communication over technical display. The song’s most remarkable quality is its emotional restraint; rather than building to a cathartic outburst, it settles into a kind of resigned acceptance that is more affecting than any belted climax would have been. The closing minutes, with the vocal gradually layering over itself, create a genuine sense of distance and finality.
7 Things (2008)
From the Breakout album released in 2008, “7 Things” established the template for what would become a recognizable pop-punk breakup song subgenre in the early 2010s. The production by John Shanks features a driving guitar riff, compressed drums, and a chorus arrangement that balances pop accessibility with genuine rock energy. The lyrical structure — alternating between criticism and grudging affection for the same subject — is more sophisticated than the teen-pop label it received at the time would suggest. The song reached number nine on the Hot 100, Cyrus’s highest chart position at that point in her career, and its influence on subsequent pop-punk revival acts is audible in retrospect. It deserves reassessment as a genuinely well-crafted piece of commercial rock songwriting.
Jaded (2023)
One of the standout deeper cuts on Endless Summer Vacation, “Jaded” finds Cyrus addressing a relationship with a cool, observational clarity that suits the album’s overall emotional temperature. Co-written by Cyrus alongside Leland and Jon Bellion, the track’s production is sleek and minimalist — a pulsing synthesizer bass, restrained percussion, and layers of vocal harmony that emerge gradually over the song’s three-minute runtime. The lyrical perspective is notably empathetic for a breakup song, attempting to understand rather than condemn the other party, which gives the track a reflective quality that distinguishes it from more conventional pop fare on the topic. It is the kind of song that reveals more on each listen.
When I Look at You (2009)
Featured on the The Time of Our Lives EP and the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, “When I Look at You” is a piano-led power ballad that gave Cyrus her first genuine showcase as a singer capable of carrying an emotionally demanding arrangement without theatrical excess. Written by Hillary Lindsey and John Shanks, the song builds through a careful verse-chorus structure toward a bridge that requires real vocal commitment to execute credibly, and Cyrus delivers it with conviction. The production is lush but not overwrought, with string arrangements that support rather than swamp the vocal. For an artist who was sixteen at the time of recording, the emotional maturity of the performance is genuinely impressive and stands as an early indicator of what would become a remarkably durable career.
II MOST WANTED (with Beyoncé) (2024)
The collaboration between Cyrus and Beyoncé on “II MOST WANTED” from Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album is one of the most genuinely surprising and satisfying musical pairings of recent years. The track is a country-soul duet that draws on classic American musical traditions — pedal steel guitar, warm acoustic instrumentation, a vocal arrangement that prioritizes harmony and blend over individual showboating. Both artists demonstrate real restraint here, serving the song rather than competing for dominance, and the result is a genuine duet in the classic sense: two voices that sound better together than apart. Cyrus’s rougher-edged vocal texture provides the ideal complement to Beyoncé’s more precisely calibrated instrument, and the track stands as one of the finest things either artist released in 2024.
Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky / Gypsy Mashup) (2020)
The official mashup of “Midnight Sky” with Stevie Nicks’s “Edge of Seventeen,” released as “Edge of Midnight” from Plastic Hearts, is a remarkable exercise in synthesis that elevates both source materials. Cyrus and Nicks trade verses and share the chorus with an ease that speaks to a genuine aesthetic kinship — both artists favor a kind of hard-edged feminine mysticism in their songwriting, and hearing their voices intertwined across a production that seamlessly blends the decades makes the connection audible rather than merely theoretical. The Nicks seal of approval, granted explicitly for the original sample and formalized through the collaboration, carries significant weight in the rock canon, and “Edge of Midnight” arguably did more for Cyrus’s critical reputation than any other single project in her catalog.
See You Again (2007)
From the debut album Meet Miley Cyrus released in 2007, “See You Again” is the track that introduced the world to Cyrus as a solo recording artist separate from the Hannah Montana persona, and it holds up as a genuinely solid piece of country-influenced pop songwriting. Written by Cyrus with Antonina Armato and Tim James, the song is built on a bright acoustic guitar foundation with light pop production that suits the teenage narrator’s infatuation narrative without being condescending. The vocal is eager rather than polished, but that quality is appropriate to the subject and age of the performer. It reached number ten on the Hot 100 and established Cyrus as a commercial force in her own right, laying the groundwork for everything that followed. Heard now, it functions as an artifact of genuine musical beginning — rough-edged, enthusiastic, and entirely her own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Miley Cyrus’s most successful song of all time?
“Flowers,” released in January 2023, is widely considered the most commercially successful song of Cyrus’s career. It debuted at number one in numerous countries simultaneously and broke multiple Spotify streaming records in its opening week, becoming one of the fastest-streamed songs in the platform’s history at the time of release.
What album is Wrecking Ball from?
“Wrecking Ball” is from the Bangerz album, released in October 2013 through RCA Records. It was released as the album’s second single and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the defining chart hits of that year.
Did Miley Cyrus write her own songs?
Yes, Cyrus has been an active songwriter throughout her career, with increasing involvement in her own material from the Can’t Be Tamed era onward. By the time of Plastic Hearts (2020) and Endless Summer Vacation (2023), she was co-writing or co-producing the majority of her released material, often working with collaborators including Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, and Leland.
What genre is Miley Cyrus?
Miley Cyrus has worked across multiple genres throughout her career, including country-pop, teen pop, hip-hop influenced pop, hard rock, and synth-pop. Each major album release has represented a deliberate stylistic shift, making her catalog unusually varied. The Plastic Hearts era leaned heavily into classic rock and glam rock, while Endless Summer Vacation returned to polished pop songwriting.
What was Miley Cyrus’s first big hit?
“See You Again” from the 2007 debut album Meet Miley Cyrus was her first major solo hit, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. However, “Party in the U.S.A.” from 2009 is often cited as the breakthrough moment that established her as a mainstream pop force beyond the teen-pop demographic.
What is the best Miley Cyrus album to start with?
For new listeners, Plastic Hearts (2020) offers the most cohesive and critically acclaimed entry point into her catalog, showcasing her vocal range, her rock influences, and the level of artistic control she exercises over her material. Those more interested in her pop side may find Endless Summer Vacation (2023) a more accessible starting point.