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Bangerz is the fourth studio album by the American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on September 30, 2013. It was her first body of original work since leaving Hollywood Records after the release of her third studio album Can't Be Tamed (2010) and her signing to RCA in early 2013. Cyrus began to work on the album, and she decided against prioritizing her acting career as originally stated, in 2012. Primarily a Pop music and R&B record with lyrical themes that revolve largely around romance, Bangerz is a shift in both genre and tone from her previous work, which she began to feel "disconnected" from. Pop singer Britney Spears and rappers Big Sean, French Montana, Future, Ludacris, and Nelly are featured on the record.
Bangerz received generally positive reviews from music critics, who were divided on Cyrus' provocative image but praised its production and originality. It became Cyrus' fifth number-one album on the US Billboard 200, and it debuted with the third-highest opening week for a female artist in 2013. The album has since been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, which marked Cyrus' first career Grammy nomination.
The album was supported by the singles "We Can't Stop", "Wrecking Ball", and "Adore You". "We Can't Stop" peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "Wrecking Ball" became Cyrus' first number-one single in the United States. Both singles' music videos became the fastest videos to reach 100 million views on Vevo, and the latter won the award for Video of the Year at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Cyrus further promoted the album with the Bangerz Tour in 2014.
Bangerz and its promotional efforts are lauded as a turning point in Cyrus' career, in which her public image successfully evolved from being a child star who was synonymous with her former television series Hannah Montana, to being a musical artist in her own right. Cyrus' controversial and sexually charged behavior during this time period resulted in various defining moments in Popular culture, including her polarizing performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, and the release of the controversial music video for the single "Wrecking Ball".
She described the music as "dirty south hip-hop" and combining the genres of hip-hop and country, which she felt was a "good hybrid". To achieve this sound, Cyrus worked with various hip hop producers including Mike Will Made It, Mac Miller, Pharrell Williams, and Tyler, the Creator in cities including Atlanta, Georgia. They helped her to incorporate Hip-hop elements into the project, which Cyrus acknowledged resulted in a "really different sound". Cyrus further commented that her project would "shut everyone up", and later compared the record to Bad (1987) by Michael Jackson, in that "people still are listening to it because it's so fucking dope" and "wants people to listen to her album like that." She also expressed her desire to "set a new standard for pop music". Producer Sean Garrett called the record "fun and exciting", and stated that a collaboration that Cyrus recorded with Britney Spears would appear on the final track listing. Mike Will Made It explained that the title for the album was decided upon after realizing that "whole album was bangers".
On September 18, 2013, Cyrus unveiled four additional covers for the physical version of the deluxe record, which were sporadically distributed across international retailers and voted on by fans to determine the official cover to be printed for future pressings. Two of the covers display Cyrus dressed in alternate outfits, one with a black jacket and another with a white bra and checkered black pants. The third version depicts a close-up of Cyrus surrounded by roses, while the fourth version highlights a topless Cyrus covering her chest. The topless cover is featured for an online-exclusive edition of the record and is also the primary visual for the LP record pressings, released on November 26 through Cyrus' online store. It was compared to her music video for "Wrecking Ball", which also showcased an unclothed Cyrus, while the others were deemed conservative by comparison. A page of is packaged with the deluxe version of the album. On October 15, it was announced through Cyrus' Facebook profile that the original deluxe artwork would remain the official cover. The record is additionally marked with the Parental Advisory label, affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to identify explicit content. On September 29, 30-second snippets of each track on Bangerz were made available through AllMusic. The following day, the full record was made available for streaming through the iTunes Store and iTunes Radio. On April 22, 2017, the album was rereleased on vinyl for Record Store Day. A 10th anniversary edition was released on September 29, 2023. Two editions were made available, one featuring two black LPs and the other one two seaglass colored LPs, both featuring '23' as a bonus track.
The seventh track "Love Money Party" features Big Sean, and incorporates a "grimy, haunted-house beat". Jason Lipshutz from Billboard noted that Cyrus appeared more comfortable with rapping in the recording, compared to an earlier performance on the Mike Will Made It single "23". "#GetItRight" is a "stylish breeze" that sees the inclusion of "whistling ... and a chopped guitar lick". It was described as being reminiscent of "Twisted" by Usher and "Kickin' In" by Adam Lambert, all three of which were produced by Pharrell Williams. Cyrus stated that "Drive" was inspired by "needing to leave someone but not really wanting to completely cut yourself off from the relationship." The track was described as "a sad-Kanye West-esque track" and her comments were assumed to reference her engagement to Hemsworth by the media. The tenth track "FU" features French Montana, and according to Catucci, blends "starry Adele-style sass and a French Montana verse into expertly inlaid dubstep wub-wubs". He went on to describe "Do My Thang" as a "ripping dance track", while Lipshutz recognized influences from "gooey synthesizers and snapping percussion". "Maybe You're Right" incorporates drum instrumentation with "hints of Gospel music influence", and was also questioned to be addressing Hemsworth. The thirteenth and final track "Someone Else" combines hip hop and synthpop styles, and lyrically discusses Cyrus' evolving public image.
"Wrecking Ball" was released as the album's second single on August 25, 2013. The song peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cyrus' first single to do so in the United States. It additionally peaked within the top-twenty of several international singles charts, and reached at number 2 in Australia and New Zealand. The accompanying music video was released on September 9, 2013, and garnered significant media attention for showcasing a nude Cyrus. With 19.3 million views, it broke the Vevo record for the most views in 24 hours, and additionally became the fastest video to reach 100 million views, having done so in 6 days. The first-day viewing record was later surpassed by the visuals for "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj in August 2014, which received 19.6 million views, upon its premiere. On December 4, 2013, "Wrecking Ball" returned to the peak position of the Billboard Hot 100 with assistance from online streaming of a viral Chatroulette parody video, and consequently became the largest gap between number-one sittings in Billboard history. On the same month, the music videos for "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop" were announced as the first and second most-viewed videos on Vevo in 2013, respectively.
"Adore You" was released as the third and final single from Bangerz; it was serviced to contemporary hit radio stations on December 17, 2013. It received generally favorable reviews, with critics appreciating its mid-tempo production, although they criticized the use of Auto-Tune in its vocals. The accompanying music video was Internet leak on the evening of December 25, and was officially premiered on the morning of December 26. The clip depicts Cyrus suggestively posing in a bed and a bathtub, and is interspersed with night vision footage that appears to simulate a sex tape. Prior to being officially released as a single, the song debuted at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100; it peaked at number 21. The remix for "Adore You", was produced by Cedric Gervais, and premiered online on February 13, 2014; it was officially released on Beatport through his label Spinnin' Records on March 3.
In September 2013, Cyrus sang "We Can't Stop" on Schlag den Raab in Germany (September 7), Le Grand Journal in France (September 9), and in England (September 13). On September 21, she performed twice at iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, in the afternoon at festival village and in the evening at MGM Grand Garden Arena. During both shows she sang "We Can't Stop" and, for the first time, "Wrecking Ball". Despite generating media attention for a provocative wardrobe, the performance was considered to be "fairly tame considering the VMAs." On October 5, Cyrus served as the host and musical guest during an episode of Saturday Night Live. She appeared in several sketches, including a parody of "We Can't Stop" titled "We Did Stop (The Government)", referencing the federal government shutdown, and performed an acoustic version of "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball". The following Monday, Cyrus performed both singles on Today as part of their Toyota Concert Series. She held an album signing on October 8 at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, and also appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show later that month, also singing both singles there.
Bangerz was additionally promoted through the documentary , which premiered through MTV on October 2; it covered the production of the project and the lead-up to its release. In November, Cyrus traveled to Europe again to sing both "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards in Amsterdam on November 10; she garnered media attention for smoking a joint of marijuana on-stage while accepting the Best Video Award for the latter single. During her trip, she also performed "Wrecking Ball" on Wetten, dass..? in Germany (November 9), BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in London (November 12), and the 2013 Bambi Awards in Germany (November 14). On November 17, she performed "Wrecking Ball" on The X Factor in London. After being criticized for delivering a lackluster vocal performance, Cyrus was placed under "vocal rest" by her doctors in preparation of the Bangerz Tour. On November 24, Cyrus performed "Wrecking Ball" at the 2013 American Music Awards; a digitally animated cat projected on the screen behind her lip-synced the lyrics alongside Cyrus. In December, she performed at Jingle Ball concerts in Los Angeles (KIIS-FM Jingle Ball), Saint Paul, Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., Tampa and Sunrise. She was expected to perform in Boston during the series, although her flight from New York City was cancelled due to Winter Storm Electra and was therefore unable to attend.
Cyrus also performed "#GetItRight" and "Wrecking Ball" on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square on December 31; she had previously been expected to perform at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach with Pharrell Williams. On January 25, 2014, Cyrus sang "#GetItRight" during Clive Davis' party the evening before the 56th Annual Grammy Awards; after an unenthusiastic response from the audience, she performed a cover version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton which received a more favorable reception. An episode of MTV Unplugged starring Cyrus premiered through MTV on January 29. She performed Acoustic music versions of "Adore You", "SMS (Bangerz)", "4x4", "Wrecking Ball", "#GetItRight", "Drive", "Do My Thang", and "Rooting for My Baby". Cyrus also performed a cover version of "Jolene", while Madonna appeared as a surprise guest that evening to sing a medley of Cyrus "We Can't Stop" and her own "Don't Tell Me". An uncensored version of the special was released online on February 6, and included an additional cover version of "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" by the Arctic Monkeys. Cyrus performed "Wrecking Ball" during the 2014 World Music Awards in Monte-Carlo on May 27. Cyrus participated in the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium in London on June 21, where she sang "SMS (Bangerz)", "4x4", "Love Money Party", "Wrecking Ball", "We Can't Stop" and "Party in the U.S.A.".
Tickets for the North American leg became available for purchase on November 16; it began at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on February 14, 2014, and was originally planned conclude on April 24 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. However, several showings were postponed after Cyrus experienced an allergic reaction to medication on April 15. The rescheduled North American dates saw the inclusion of two additional performances; they began on August 1 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, and concluded on August 14 at the United Center in Chicago. The second leg of the tour visited Europe and included eighteen shows, for which tickets became available for purchase on December 13. It began on May 6 at The O2 Arena in London, and concluded on June 22 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. The two-hour television special Miley Cyrus: Bangerz Tour was filmed during Cyrus' performances in Spain and Portugal, and was broadcast on July 6 on NBC in the United States. The tour resumed on August 1 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale and concluded on October 23 at the Perth Arena in Perth, Australia.
Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times noted that the album favored a "grittier, hip-hop-inspired vibe" instead of the "glossy electro-pop" from her previous material, and further opined that "We Can't Stop" "still astounds; it might be the calmest, most clear-eyed rebel yell since Janet Jackson's 'Control.' An album beyond its years." Rolling Stones Jon Dolan complimented the album's "wide-ranging production", labeling it a "Rihanna-meets-Lady Gaga-meets-Pink-meets-Britney Spears party grenade of a record". Writing for Fact, Tom Lea provided a more mixed review of Bangerz, calling it a "hot mess of country, Southern hip-hop and more", but concluded that the record contained "more—ahem—bangers than clangers." Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian shared a similar sentiment, but also concluded that the overall record held "more hits than misses". John Murphy of MusicOMH described the tracks as being "rather run of the mill material", but nonetheless complimented Cyrus' promotional efforts for making the record "one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year". Caitlin White from Consequence of Sound praised the album saying that "though gawky and unwieldy, this is a portrait of a woman with fierce, interesting instincts".
Kitty Empire from The Observer was more negative of Bangerz, stating that the project "feels stitched together in the dark, and the attention-seeking begins to grate." Elysa Gardner for USA Today described the record's composition as "mediocre" and consisting of "competent, mostly generic tunes". Jessica Hopper from Spin was also more negative of the record, remarking that it is a "precise album that flits between bombastic and turgid" and "is very fun".
Billboard listed Bangerz at number ninety-one on their list of the 100 best albums of the 2010s pointing that "with this pivotal album release, Cyrus took control of her public persona, surprising less with her provocative antics than with her constant artistic evolution." Consequence of Sound ranked Bangerz twentieth on their list of the 25 best pop albums of the 2010s.
| + !Year !Organization !Award !Result | |||
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Album | |
| World Music Awards | World's Best Album | ||
| 2015 | Best Pop Vocal Album |
| + !Publication !List !Rank !Ref. | |||
| Amazon | Amazon's 100 Best Albums of 2013 | 18 | |
| Associated Press | Top 10 Albums of the Year | 9 | |
| Entertainment Weekly | 10 Best Albums of 2013 | 3 | |
| FACT Magazine | 50 Best Albums of 2013 | 49 | |
| The Guardian | Best Albums of 2013 | 34 | |
| Houston Chronicle | Best Albums of 2013 | 4 | |
| NPR | Ann Powers' Top 10 Albums of 2013 | 10 | |
| Rolling Stone | 50 Best Albums of 2013 | 27 | |
| Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2013 | 4 |
| + !Publication !List !Rank !Ref. | |||
| Billboard | Billboard's 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s | 91 | |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 25 Pop Albums of the 2010s | 20 |
Bangerz charted moderately throughout Europe. In the United Kingdom, the record and her track "Wrecking Ball" both debuted at number one on their respective charts in the same week, making Cyrus the first artist of 2013 to achieve a "chart double" in the country. The album was later recognized with a silver certification. It also reached the peak position in Ireland, Norway, and Scotland. Furthermore, it respectively debuted at numbers two and three in Spain and Italy. The album peaked at number four on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 and the Swedish Sverigetopplistan. It also debuted at number four on the Portuguese Albums Chart. The album also reached number six on the Dutch MegaCharts, number seven on the Swiss Music Charts, number eight on the Hungarian MAHASZ, and number three on the Danish Hitlisten and number nine on both the French Albums Chart and the German Media Control Charts. In Belgium, the record respectively peaked at numbers eight and nineteen in Flanders and Wallonia. The album reached number 23 on The Official Finnish Charts, and debuted at number 45 on the Polish ZPAV. In South America, Bangerz charted at number one on the Argentinian CAPIF chart and the Brazilian ABPD chart. The record experienced similar success in Oceania, where it debuted in the peak position of the Australian ARIA Charts and reached number two in New Zealand. In the latter country, it was certified gold.
Andrew Unterberger of Billboard felt that Bangerz developed the maturing image for Cyrus that her third album Can't Be Tamed (2010) failed to accomplish. He suggested that she had "no true backup plan" for creating a new public persona in 2010, and stated that she "now feels firmly in control of her music and her image" in 2013. Marlow Stern from The Daily Beast shared a similar sentiment, stating that Cyrus "is completely in control of what she's doing" after her controversies that year, which he described as "pure artistic calculation born out of mild desperation", and has successfully done "just about anything to gain our attention". Zack O'Malley Greenburg of Forbes commented that despite widespread criticism of "chasing YouTube views and record sales at the expense of her image", the "new Cyrus" appears "marketable as ever." Writing for Glamour, Mickey Woods compared the promotional "era" for Bangerz to those of Britney Spears' and Christina Aguilera's third and fourth studio albums Britney (2001) and Stripped (2002), respectively, in that "both albums by these legends were wildly experimental", adding that Cyrus' project "will probably be retrospectively deemed iconic, maybe even classic." Mark Jacobs of V likened the album to Control (1986) by Janet Jackson, in that Cyrus was "an artist coming into her own" in a fashion similar to Jackson.
Patrick Ryan of USA Today commented that Cyrus' collaborations with Mike Will Made It contributed to his new-found prominence, stating that Mike Will Made It's position as an executive producer has helped him "jump to the forefront as an interesting character ... in an era where a lot of producers have fallen behind the scenes again". From a commercial standpoint, however, Suzanne Cowie of Babble suggested that Cyrus' opening-week sales figures and subsequent decline supported the idea that the studio album format is reaching its end, having used her example to exemplify that "consumers are only interested in the single". She further opined that they do not "have the time to sit and listen through to an album in its entirety", and credited the rise of Music download with promoting a less engaging listening process, where consumers "have connected in any way with the band/singer and their hopes for the record."
In December 2013 MTV named Cyrus as their Best Artist of 2013, for which criteria including Bangerzs sales were taken into consideration. James Montgomery from MTV News elaborated on the network's decision that Cyrus "declared her independence and dominated the pop-culture landscape", adding that "she schooled—and shocked—us all in 2013, and did so on her own terms." In early December 2013, Cyrus was listed in the top ten finalists for Time Person of the Year, the only entertainer in the list, though she lost to Pope Francis; she was also listed on Barbara Walters' "Most Fascinating People of the Year". Billboard staff called Cyrus the "Most Talked About Pop Star" of 2013, and also recognized the controversial evolution of her career as the "Top Music Moment" of the year, elaborating that she was a "maelstrom that expanded and grazed nearly every aspect of pop culture in 2013." Cyrus was also the most-searched person of the year on Google, with Leah Chernikoff of Elle writing that "most folks, even famous ones, only strike Internet gold like that once in a lifetime (or maybe once a year), but Cyrus hit it again—and again—in 2013."
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Credits adapted from Bangerz liner notes.
Legacy
Bangerz and its promotional events have been largely credited with establishing a sexually provocative image for Cyrus. Zack O'Malley Greenburg from Forbes noted that her performances, music videos, and public behavior received "plenty of condemnation along with all the attention" in the lead-up to the record; he suggested that this was intentionally done so "parents never again buy any products related to Cyrus–or her former alter-ego, tween sensation Hannah Montana." John Murphy from MusicOMH stated that Cyrus' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards became " the seismic event that ensured we'd never recall 2013 without thinking of her", further opining that the anticipation it built for Bangerz made it "impossible not to admire her Public relations operation."
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Categories: 2013 Albums, Miley Cyrus Albums, Rca Records Albums, Albums Produced By Cirkut, Albums Produced By Dr. Luke, Albums Produced By Mike Will Made It, Albums Produced By Pharrell Williams, Albums Produced By Rock City, Albums Produced By Will.i.am, Albums Recorded At Westlake Recording Studios, Contemporary R&b Albums By American Artists
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