by Ann Donahue |
March 20, 2009 4:37 EDT
Miley Cyrus is attempting to teach an adult the Hoedown Throwdown, the big dance number from "Hannah Montana: The Movie," and it's not going well. "We did it in one day!" she gasps, as I tell her how I've flailed through the YouTube instructional video. "We just all kind of made it up as we went along." It doesn't help that Cyrus offers this consolation and advice over the phone while I'm trying to follow along on YouTube—and untangle myself from my phone cord.
"Well," she patiently explains, "you have to be semi-coordinated to do it."
Then it dawns on me that this is exactly how Cyrus' legion of preteen female fans is learning the dance: YouTube onscreen, phone to ear, someone on phone offering encouragement amid occasional peals of laughter.
On April 10, the franchise about the schoolgirl-by-day-pop-star-at-night will get a narrative take on the big screen and an accompanying soundtrack. In "Hannah Montana: The Movie," Cyrus' character from the show, Miley Stewart, gets a little too embroiled in some divalicious antics while in her Montana guise and winds up brawling with Tyra Banks in a posh boutique. Stewart's father—played by Cyrus' real-life dad, Billy Ray—sends her back home to Tennessee to bring her down to earth. After getting in a little Henry David Thoreau time communing with nature (and, in an age-appropriate fashion, with a cute local farm fellow played by Lucas Till), Stewart weighs the benefits of a life less glam.
The two early standouts from the movie's soundtrack are "Hoedown Throwdown" and the current single "The Climb"; this week "Climb" is No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Hoedown" is No. 56. The soundtrack will be released March 24 and features 18 tracks: seven are performed by Cyrus in her Montana persona, four by Cyrus herself, one by Billy Ray and one by her and him together. Newcomer Steve Rushton, who just signed to Hollywood Records, contributes two tracks (see story, page 20); Taylor Swift adds a new song, "Crazier"; and Rascal Flatts supplies an acoustic version of "Bless the Broken Road."
"For us, it's really unique because we can promote 'Hannah Montana' to more than Disney fans," says Damon Whiteside, senior VP of marketing for Walt Disney Records. "The other country artists provide a whole new world for us."
Some of the singles besides "The Climb" have already made a chart impact—and the gone-country tone of the soundtrack appears to be working. Billy Ray's solo track is already No. 54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart; it also serves at the title track to his next album, which will be released April 7, not coincidentally, the week the movie comes out. (In early test screenings of the "Hannah Montana" movie, the father-daughter bonding moment where the Cyruses perform "Butterfly" consistently ranked at the top.)
"We wanted to honor the Disney Channel show without totally emulating it," says Mitchell Leib, president of music and soundtracks for Walt Disney Studios. "Billy Ray is such a force of the show and such a complement to Miley, and we wanted to establish music being a part of their lives."
"Well," she patiently explains, "you have to be semi-coordinated to do it."
Then it dawns on me that this is exactly how Cyrus' legion of preteen female fans is learning the dance: YouTube onscreen, phone to ear, someone on phone offering encouragement amid occasional peals of laughter.
Miley Cyrus' "Hoedown Throwdown" vs. her dad Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky"
(Illustration by Eric Larson for Billboard)
Such is Cyrus' Everygirl power. For the better part of five years, the 16-year-old has had a direct dial into the cerebral fun cortex of the brains of millions of 10-year-old girls. Under the stewardship of the Walt Disney Co., Cyrus has starred in "Hannah Montana," which remains one of the top-rated kids' TV shows on cable; sold more than 7 million albums; starred in "Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour 3-D," which opened at No. 1 and earned more than $65 million at the box office, making it the top-grossing concert film; and helped sell a clothing factory's worth of merchandise at Wal-Mart. That all adds up. According to Billboard's Money Makers chart (Feb. 21), Cyrus was the 15th-biggest earner of 2008, taking in $48.9 million from sales of music, ringtones and concert tickets.On April 10, the franchise about the schoolgirl-by-day-pop-star-at-night will get a narrative take on the big screen and an accompanying soundtrack. In "Hannah Montana: The Movie," Cyrus' character from the show, Miley Stewart, gets a little too embroiled in some divalicious antics while in her Montana guise and winds up brawling with Tyra Banks in a posh boutique. Stewart's father—played by Cyrus' real-life dad, Billy Ray—sends her back home to Tennessee to bring her down to earth. After getting in a little Henry David Thoreau time communing with nature (and, in an age-appropriate fashion, with a cute local farm fellow played by Lucas Till), Stewart weighs the benefits of a life less glam.
The two early standouts from the movie's soundtrack are "Hoedown Throwdown" and the current single "The Climb"; this week "Climb" is No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Hoedown" is No. 56. The soundtrack will be released March 24 and features 18 tracks: seven are performed by Cyrus in her Montana persona, four by Cyrus herself, one by Billy Ray and one by her and him together. Newcomer Steve Rushton, who just signed to Hollywood Records, contributes two tracks (see story, page 20); Taylor Swift adds a new song, "Crazier"; and Rascal Flatts supplies an acoustic version of "Bless the Broken Road."
"For us, it's really unique because we can promote 'Hannah Montana' to more than Disney fans," says Damon Whiteside, senior VP of marketing for Walt Disney Records. "The other country artists provide a whole new world for us."
Some of the singles besides "The Climb" have already made a chart impact—and the gone-country tone of the soundtrack appears to be working. Billy Ray's solo track is already No. 54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart; it also serves at the title track to his next album, which will be released April 7, not coincidentally, the week the movie comes out. (In early test screenings of the "Hannah Montana" movie, the father-daughter bonding moment where the Cyruses perform "Butterfly" consistently ranked at the top.)
"We wanted to honor the Disney Channel show without totally emulating it," says Mitchell Leib, president of music and soundtracks for Walt Disney Studios. "Billy Ray is such a force of the show and such a complement to Miley, and we wanted to establish music being a part of their lives."
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