Sending a message

over. He does, however, find it sad.

“I don’t mind her trying to move away from the child artist to the adult artist,” Worth says. “My problem with it is that Miley has talent but the marketing of Miley Cyrus is totally for the purpose of getting her attention instead of focusing on her abilities. She can’t garner the attention that she probably deserves based on her talent. So she does controversial, provocative videos.”

The idea that Cyrus has been getting by completely on the exploitation of her sexuality fails to take into account one simple truth: The kid can sing. And sing well.

As Vevo’s McVehil says, “The thing that separates her from the others is that she can actually sing. She has this incredible voice.”

One fairly constant charge that Cyrus naysayers have leveled at the star is that, as a former tween idol whose fan base still includes some young, impressionable minds, she doesn’t seem concerned enough about her obligations as a role model.

But Pam Scott of Pittsburgh, whose daughters watched “Hannah Montana” as they were growing up, doesn’t see it that way.

“I would characterize my feelings for the evolving Miley as ‘You go, girl,’ ” she says. “She doesn’t look like she’s throwing her life away at all. She’s making a lot of her opportunities, not sitting back and coasting. And I think she’s tough. I think a lot of girls could learn from her example, even in a small way, having a little more courage day to day because a lot of girls get beaten down in their teen years.”

In a recent teleconference, Cyrus sounded very much like someone thinking of the younger fans who may be looking up to her as something of a role model.

“I know sometimes people like to make me seem like I’m one thing, and all that I know how to do is come out and shock people and that’s kind of my only purpose in this industry,” she said. “And that isn’t what it is.”

She sees the “Bangerz” tour that brings her to the Valley as having “a feminist energy” and speaking to people who want to be different and free.

“I think a lot of my fans, that’s why we’re kind of so close, because when they look at me, they feel like they can be truly who they are,” she said. “I hope my fans are kind of inspired by my show to take that to the next level because everything that I do, it’s not to be different to prove a point. It’s because you are different.”

The point of her show, she said, is “being proud of that and owning that and not going out there to be what other people consider sexy or what other people consider right or wrong or whatever it is.”

“It’s just being true to who you are and what makes you feel good and feel right. And I think that’s something good for girls, especially.”