Child star turned worldwide phenomenon, Miley Cyrus, started her musical career at the tender age of 13 on the hit Disney Channel show, Hannah Montana. Now 30 years old, Miley’s voice has expectedly undergone quite a few changes, not only due to her own personal growth but also due to some understated modifications. Noticeable changes occurred over time to her vocal cords, as a result of the singer’s own personal endeavors.
As expected, everyone’s voice changes over time, typically becoming lower as we get older. After more than a decade in the limelight, Miley’s voice is no exception to this rule. In her latest album, Endless Summer, fans noticed that the star’s beloved raspy tone remains consistent, while her overall pitch is noticeably lowered compared to before. Always a force to be reckoned with, her latest work lured more people into her endless web of talents, and led fans to question what exactly happened to her voice.
Why did Miley Cyrus’ voice change?
The “Plastic Hearts” singer is known for her husky voice, which fans know and adore, and her ability to present a range of emotions through her music and unique pitch. But during an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Cyrus openly speaks about her experience dealing with voice changes and properly learning how to care for her vocal cords.
After Rogan compliments Cyrus, the singer candidly admits that in 2019 she had to undergo surgery due to Reinke’s edema, a condition that causes vocal cords to swell with a build-up of gelatinous fluid, oftentimes caused by excessive and long-term smoking, as per NCBI.
“My doctor said, no one shy’s ever had this — this is for people who talk way too f-cking much,” Cyrus said, adding “I started touring at probably 12 or 13. The adrenaline that you have after a show — it’s not really the singing that affects your voice as much. It’s afterward, you’re totally on and it’s really hard to get that sleep. You stay up, talking all night. Later, the talking all night turned into smoking all night”.
The singer also goes on to admit that she wasn’t always using her voice properly, sharing that “having the surgery was a gift because I was able to understand my instrument,” even going on to compare her voice to a face. “It collects wrinkles and it tells a story,” she said, adding that “[like a face] it collects dust,” making it imperative for her to prioritize taking care of it.
How is Miley Cyrus taking care of her voice?
Now older and wiser, the singer mentions in the episode that the surgery was the step she needed to move toward sobriety. “I don’t smoke anymore, and I’m sober,” she recalls. “I’ve been sober, pretty much the vocal surgery kind of did it for me because I just learned so much about the effects.” Since then, Cyrus has been open about her personal journey with sobriety and recovery and continues to focus on her music and her voice throughout.
In March, the singer released her eighth studio album, Endless Summer. The release followed the January drop of its lead single “Flowers,” which became number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks straight.
Her year’s success did not end there, and in August, Cyrus released her track “Used to Be Young”. Serving as her first follow-up since Endless Summer, the song candidly reflects on her time in the spotlight. Both Endless Summer and “Used To Be Young” are readily available across all musical platforms.
