Miley Cyrus’ comeback single “We Can’t Stop” is off to a strong start and should debut on this week’s Hot 100 chart following its June 3 release. But “We Can’t Stop” almost wasn’t Cyrus’ hit to capitalize upon: the song’s producer, Mike WiLL Made-It, has confirmed that the party track was first intended for his “Pour It Up” collaborator, Rihanna.
“When I originally worked on ‘We Can’t Stop,’ we had did it for Rihanna. The idea was more towards Rihanna,” Mike WiLL Made-It tells MTV News. “Rihanna, she heard ‘Pour It Up’ right away, and she didn’t even hear ‘We Can’t Stop.'”
20 Hit Songs Meant For Other Singers
After the producer’s work on Rih’s “Unapologetic” album was wrapped, he switched his attention to Cyrus, and says that he and Sony both believed the song was “perfect” for the pop star. “They played it for her, she liked it, so I thought we were just gonna knock out one record,” he says. “But we ended up going in and caught a good vibe. She’s real cool, a regular person.”
In the past, Rihanna has been the beneficiary of hit singles that were intended for other artists: “Disturbia,” for instance, was originally meant for Chris Brown, while “Umbrella” was turned down by Britney Spears. Before contributing “Pour It Up” to Rihanna’s “Unapologetic” album, Mike WiLL Made-It was best known for crafting the beats to 2 Chainz’s “No Lie,” Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and Future’s “Turn on the Lights,” among other hits.
“We Can’t Stop” is the lead single from Cyrus’ fourth studio album, due out later this year on RCA Records. Along with Mike WiLL Made-It, the pop singer worked with Pharrell Williams, Future and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald on the new full-length.