In the age of Miley

It seems ridiculous at first.

Time Magazine named 21-year-old Miley Cyrus a finalist for person of the year.

The singer, once known by her alter ego Hannah Montana, has worked to separate herself from her Disney days this past year.

With hits like “23,” “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop” — which includes incredibly insightful lyrics such as “We run things / Things don’t run we” — it is obvious Cyrus’ songs do not serve as a call to action, or even advice for her predominantly teenaged fanbase.

Rather, her songs promote excessive partying.

This, coupled with her many instances of cliche scandalous behavior, makes many dismiss her as another Disney-star-gone-wrong — see Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes.

That being said, her music is undeniably catchy.

Whether listening as a true fan or just to mock the star, the songs and their accompanying videos are difficult to forget.

Last semester, one of my floor mates started talking about a new song from the pop star entitled “23.”

We all watched the music video, entranced by the comically simple, but incredibly unforgettable “J’s on my feet” line.

Cyrus’ songs do not rely on complicated metaphors or even well written lyrics.

Instead, she masterfully creates melodies to remind listeners of those late night parties of their youth — the times they were rebellious.

“We Can’t Stop” has become an unofficial anthem for millennials desperate to rekindle their younger, wilder days and not grow up.

Her more somber “Wrecking Ball,” meant for her recent ex-fiancé Liam Hemsworth, includes emotional truths everyone going through a breakup can sympathize with.

That is Cyrus’ greatest strength — generalities.

Unlike other singers who include more personal details in their songs, she strives to keep her lyrics simple enough to apply to all types and ages of
audiences.

Beyond this, however, she makes her live performances and music videos unforgettable.

The singer made headlines everywhere after twerking on Robin Thicke while he performed “Blurred Lines.”

With her ridiculous performance outfit, hair that reminded many of Angelica’s Cynthia doll from Rugrats and her signature tongue-out pose, Cyrus made sure she would be the sole star of the VMAs.

This performance spawned an SNL parody featuring Cyrus herself, as well as the number one costume seller for Halloween 2013.

Additionally, her music video for “Wrecking Ball” accumulated nearly half a billion views in the four months since its release and has spawned many copycats.

In fact, Grand Valley State University in Mich. had to remove a pendulum, similar in shape to Cyrus’ wrecking ball, from campus because students kept sneaking on to ride the ball.

My floor briefly considered constructing one in our communal lounge.

Cyrus started the twerking phase that continues to sweep the nation and sold 270,000 copies of her new CD, “Bangerz,” during its first week of release — making it the third-highest opening week for a female artist in 2013.

It was undoubtedly the year of Miley. And her reign is only likely to continue into 2014. 

­— aledaily@indiana.edu