#FlashbackFriday Miley Cyrus’ first nonHannah Montana album, Breakout, hits No. 1
WHAT a difference a decade makes.
When she was 15, Miley Cyrus was better known as the star of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. In the series, Cyrus played a high school student who has a secret identity as teen idol Hannah Montana.
The hit show garnered more than 5 million viewers during its peak. As Hannah, Cyrus scored two No. 1 albums (debut album Hannah Montana and Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus) on the US Billboard 200 charts.
Then in 2008, Cyrus released Breakout, her first non-Hannah Montana album. In an interview with Billboard, Cyrus described the album as “grownup”.
At that time, it was clear that she wanted fans to start dissociating her from Hannah.
“I wrote all the songs except two. My last one, Meet Miley Cyrus, was more just meeting me, finding out who I am, and here it’s more getting in depth of what’s been going on in my life in the past year.”
Cyrus also shared that she hopes to be known as more than just a teen singer with a blonde wig and shiny get-up.
“No matter how long what I’m doing here lasts, I want to be a songwriter for the rest of my life. I love it and it’s my escape. I just hope this record showcases that, more than anything, I’m a writer.”
Breakout peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts on Aug 10, 2008 and it was then certified platinum selling 1.5 million copies in the United States. The album featured hit singles 7 Things and Fly On The Wall.
Five years after that, Cyrus released her fourth studio album Bangerz and it marked the beginning of her more provocative phase as an artiste. Hannah Montana had left the building. – Angelin Yeoh