We all know about the supposed Disney Channel curse where former stars of the channel go through an identity crisis. Miley Cyrus was “cursed” with an ongoing struggle to grasp who she is as an artist ever since she was a young teen on Disney Channel’s hit show, “Hannah Montana.” In past interviews she has revealed the treatment and criticism she received while a young, impressionable singer and actress on the show. However, she finally found and expressed her voice in her new hit rock album, “Plastic Hearts.”

Cyrus decided to end her “Hannah Montana” career at the age of eighteen, and she experimented in many directions as a singer, some of which caused her major backlash and harsh criticism. She first went through her country music phase, but quickly moved on after feeling unfulfilled. When she decided to move to the pop genre, Cyrus released her hit album “Bangerz,” featuring one of her most popular singles, “Wrecking Ball.” Although the song was a radio hit, the music video for “Wrecking Ball” created absolute internet chaos as it featured suggestive visuals of Cyrus and partial nudity. 

Cyrus has since released a few albums, but according to many music critics and Cyrus fans, they feel she seems unsure of her music and how she is evolving as a singer. These opinions have been taunting Cyrus until the release of her new glam-rock throwback album, “Plastic Hearts.” Album listeners and reviewers worldwide have agreed that Cyrus gives off a confident, self-assured vibe with music that fits her style as an artist in this new album.

The “Plastic Hearts” album has a completely new feel compared to past albums. Cyrus has a strong, raspy, demanding voice in these new tunes. The album is inspired and based on her divorce with actor, Liam Hemsworth, the loss of her house in California wildfires, and even her drug addiction.

All of Cyrus’s pent up frustrations and struggles are expressed in her lyrical power and vocal force of the album. “Plastic Hearts,” a song featured on the album, says “I just wanna feel something/but I keep feeling nothing all night long,” which exemplifies the struggles Cyrus has gone through.

Although the album commences with songs depicting these struggles, it intensifies later in the album, symbolizing her growth as both a singer and person. Cyrus starts off the album with a mellow, self- conscious song entitled, “WTF Do I Know,” she goes on to end the album with covers to the nostalgic hit songs, “Heart of Glass” originally recorded by Blondie and “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Her take on “Heart of Glass” has recently been all over TikTok, with a majority of commenters on the app agreeing that Cyrus’s version of the song is better than the original.

Ending the album with these two powerful showstoppers reveals Cyrus’s growth and the power she now holds from her newfound passion for glam-rock throwbacks. As said by Cyrus herself, “I am not the person I was yesterday… I say goodbye to myself, in a way, because that person is done.