Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, she held minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood. Cyrus became a teen idol for her portrayal of the starring character Miley Stewart in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006; her father Billy Ray Cyrus additionally starred in the show. Cyrus subsequently signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records; her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding three million shipments. Cyrus released her second album Breakout and launched her film career as a voice actress in the animated film Bolt in 2008.
Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie, and began cultivating a maturing image with her EP The Time of Our Lives in 2009. In 2010, she released her third album Can't Be Tamed, which stands as the lowest-selling record of her career, and starred in the coming-of-age film The Last Song. Cyrus focused on her acting career with several television and film appearances in 2011 and 2012. Her sexually explicit behavior generated widespread controversy while promoting her fourth album Bangerz (2013), her first under her recording contract with RCA Records. Cyrus' independently-released fifth studio album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015) deviated from her traditional pop style for more psychedelic experimentation. In 2016, she was announced as a coach for the eleventh season of the singing competition series The Voice.