Breakout by Miley Cyrus
Breakout is the second studio album by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The album was released on July 22, 2008 by Hollywood Records and is Cyrus' first not affiliated with the Hannah Montana franchise. This, coupled by Cyrus' fondness for the album's first track, influenced the title of the album. Cyrus composed many of the songs on Breakout as she traveled on the Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08), co-writing eight of the album's twelve songs; two are covers, and one is a remix. Most songs feature writing credits for Antonina Armato and Tim James. Overall, Breakout is dominant on pop rock but explores a variety of other musical genres. Lyrical themes addressed in the album relate to breakups and coming of age. Breakout was met with generally favorable reception from critics, though some believed the tracks were not a big departure from the Hannah Montana franchise. The album encountered commercial success and introduced Cyrus in new countries. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 for one week, Cyrus' third album to do so, and was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Breakout has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States. Elsewhere, Breakout topped the Canadian Albums Chart for two consecutive weeks and the Australian Albums Chart for one week. The album also charted within the top ten in Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. Three singles were released from Breakout. "7 Things" was released as the lead single from the album; it was commercially successful, reaching the top ten on charts in Australia, Japan, Norway, and the United States. It was followed by the Rock Mafia remix of "See You Again", which was released in countries in which the original version was not. The remix expanded on the success of "See You Again" by appearing on charts in several countries. The third single, "Fly on the Wall" was the final single, though it did not duplicate the success of previous singles, reaching its highest peak at number sixteen in the UK Singles Chart. Cyrus performed songs from Breakout at numerous venues and embarked on her first world tour, the Wonder World Tour, to promote the album in late 2009. The album has sold over 1,5 million copies in the US.
“I am not the person I was yesterday,” Miley Cyrus tells Apple Music. “Cutting with Stevie Nicks on the phone, that changed me forever. Everything changes me forever. Every night before I go to sleep, I say goodbye to myself, in a way, because that person is done.” The shape-shifting pop icon has worn many hats throughout her action-packed career—Disney idol, pop/rap dynamo, down-home hippie torn between Nashville and Malibu—but there’s something about her rock-star chapter, realised in her glamorous seventh album <i>Plastic Hearts</i>, that feels the most like her destiny.<br /> It isn’t just that Cyrus has the pipes to carry these pummelling, heavyweight songs, which funnel '80s glam and punk into anthemic, electric pop—it’s how downright convincing she is in the role. Rock’s leading ladies are on board: After Cyrus turned Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” into a raw, rough-edged revelation, Debbie Harry called her a “force to be reckoned with”. On “Bad Karma”, Joan Jett brings “I don’t give a damn” attitude to a song that raises a glass to bad decisions. And Nicks, clearly a major influence, bellows magnificently on the remix to “Midnight Sky”, a tantalising riff on “Edge of Seventeen” that feels like a woman set free.<br /> Much of the album was shaped by Cyrus’ divorce from actor Liam Hemsworth, which was finalised in early 2020, as well as the loss of her house in a California wildfire and her struggles with addiction. But on <i>Plastic Hearts</i>, she channels all that real pain, guilt and suffering—and occasionally, the jaded frustration of someone who’s been up and down before—into glossy yet vigorous expressions of inner tension and heat. “I have the artist torture thing going on, too, where I’m a little conflict-seeking because it’s creative,” she says. “I like to feel sad sometimes. And I like to feel happy. I really like to <i>feel</i>. It’s inspiring to me.”
