Bangerz is the fourth studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus, released on September 30, 2013, by RCA Records. It is her first body of original work since leaving Hollywood Records after her third studio album Can't Be Tamed (2010) and signing with RCA in early 2013. Cyrus began working on the album, and decided against prioritizing her acting career as originally stated, in 2012. Bangerz is a pop and R&B record, with lyrical themes that revolve largely around romance. It is a shift from Cyrus' previous work, which she felt "disconnected" from. Pop singer Britney Spears and rappers Big Sean, French Montana, Future, Ludacris, and Nelly appear as guest vocalists.
Bangerz received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production and originality. It became Cyrus' fifth number-one album on the US Billboard 200, and was 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 Best Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, marking 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 single's music videos were once 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 international 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 contemporary artist in her own right. Cyrus' controversial and sexually-charged behavior during this time resulted in several defining moments in pop culture, including her polarizing performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Background and production
In 2012, Cyrus announced plans to focus on her film career, effectively putting her musical endeavors on a hiatus. That year, she appeared in the films LOL and So Undercover. She was also confirmed as a primary voice actress in the feature film Hotel Transylvania, but was fired from the project due to a scandal involving her licking a suggestive cake. This fallout ended up serving her well to coordinate a musical comeback. In January 2013, Cyrus signed a recording contract with RCA Records. In March, she confirmed that her fourth studio album would be released by the end of 2013. Cyrus stated that she "started over" as an artist after terminating the services of her previous professional connections, who she felt "would have [been] scared" by her evolving public image. In a later interview, she elaborated that she recognizes Bangerz to be her official debut record, deprecating her earlier projects released during the production of Hannah Montana. While recording the then-untitled album, Cyrus intended to produce a "very adult and sexy and believable" final product, and was "having fun making music [for] the first time in her career." She said the album was influenced by Motown Sound. Musical acts which inspired the album included OneRepublic and Timbaland.
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 music 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".