Pop star Miley Cyrus has learned her trade from the best of the best. The daughter of country icon Billy Ray Cyrus has been immersed in music ever since she could walk and talk, with the 28-year-old being exposed to so many great influences in her formative years now reflected in her thriving career.
While it’s true that music runs in the family — three of her siblings are also performers — the "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker has found artistic inspiration outside of the home as well.
Below are some of the rock legends that shaped her musical universe.
Stevie Nicks
Cyrus teamed up with Fleetwood Mac‘s Stevie Nicks in November 2020 in what The New York Post dubbed the "cross-generational collaboration of our dreams." The duo released the “Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)”, a mashup of Cyrus’ monster hit "Midnight Sky" and Nicks’ iconic "Edge of Seventeen."
The collaboration came after Cyrus sampled the legendary 1981 track on "Midnight Sky," which had come out three months prior.
"@StevieNicks has always been my idol & an inspiration," Cyrus wrote on Instagram at the time. "It’s an honor to now call her my friend and collaborator." See her post below!
Joan Jett
Cyrus often paid homage through the years to the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts frontwoman, covering a slew of the band’s tracks, with “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” at the top of that list. She also covered a number of Jett’s songs with her old band, the Runaways, including the classic “Cherry Bomb.”
Last year, the duo collaborated on Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts album for the track, “Bad Karma.” Even more recently, they shared the stage at the Super Bowl LV pregame show, with Cyrus writing on Instagram: "@JoanJett I wouldn’t be ME without YOU. Thank you for being apart [sic] of my first show back for #SBLV."
She also shared a clip from their performance, which you can watch below.
Debbie Harry
When Cyrus famously covered the Blondie classic “Heart of Glass” at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September 2020, Debbie Harry couldn’t be more proud of her live performance. The Blondie vocalist lauded her rendition on Twitter, saying it was "divine."
The live cover was so successful that Cyrus later released it for streaming.
Below is a photo of her, Jett, and Harry, which Cyrus shared ahead of the music festival with the caption: "You can’t sit with us."
Dolly Parton
It’s no wonder that Dolly Parton has been a great musical influence in Cyrus’ life. The country queen, who is her "honorary godmother," and has been there for Cyrus every step of the way, has often praised the former Hannah Montana star’s musical gifts.
Cyrus paid tribute to Parton with numerous "Jolene" covers over the years, with the ladies recently pairing up for “Christmas Is” off of Parton’s 2020 album, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
Billy Idol
Billy Idol was among the many rock legends featured on Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts album. Their “Rebel Yell” duet at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2016 is equally legendary, with Cyrus covering the iconic track as early as 2012.
Idol was also one of Cyrus’ guests earlier this year when she headlined the Super Bowl LV, where they performed her “Night Crawling” and his “White Wedding.”
Scroll through the embed below for photos of the pair at the Super Bowl LV Tailgate.
Pharrell Williams
Cyrus and Pharrell Williams collaborated way back in the day on her 2013 hit album Bangerz, for which the now-48-year-old rapper produced “4×4” and “#GETITRIGHT.” A year later, they teamed up again for his 2014 single, “Come Get It Bae.”
Britney Spears
Britney Spears was one of the artists that joined Cyrus for her 2013 Bangerz album — and the one singer she was the most star-struck with. The former Disney star revealed it was her "We Can’t Stop" song that brought them together, saying how much Spears loved the track when she excitedly announced their collaboration.
"I think it kind of reminded her of what she did when she was 20 and the feeling of kind of wanting to free yourself and represent so many girls, and so it was cool to be able to get her on the song," Cyrus shared. "I don’t think there’s any pop idol that I care about more than I care about Britney, because that was the first CD I ever bought."
]]>The Inquisitr
