Miley Cyrus Honors George Clooney with Powerful Country Performance
While Miley Cyrus is mainly recognized as a pop artist with hit songs like ‘Flowers’ and ‘Wrecking Ball’, her music also showcases significant country influences, likely influenced by her father, the country star Billy Ray Cyrus. This may have contributed to Cyrus delivering an impressive rendition of the country/bluegrass song ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ at the American Institute in 2018, with the video later garnering over 8 million views online.
Cyrus performed as part of a tribute show honoring actor George Clooney after he received the AFI lifetime achievement award. The song she performed was originally sung by Clooney’s character in the 2000 movie ‘Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?’, in a scene that has become iconic in contemporary film history. Cyrus undoubtedly honored the scene, with her deep, country-influenced vocals infusing the song with a new sense of strength and vitality.
The attendees on that evening in 2018 evidently enjoyed it as well, with the live audience applauding and cheering as Cyrus concluded her performance, and Clooney clapping eagerly with a wide smile while the singer greeted him. Predictably, the performance has garnered almost 4,000 online comments, with numerous viewers commending Cyrus’s versatility as a vocalist. “She can really do it all,” remarks one impressed viewer, “Such a powerful and interesting voice, and such creativity!”.
Another instance of Cyrus energizing a classic country song can be seen in her 2019 Glastonbury festival performance, where she rocked Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. Clad in leather pants, a white crop top, high-heeled boots, and layers of gold jewelry, Cyrus exemplifies feminine strength as she moves confidently across the stage, adding her own pop-inspired twist to a song widely regarded as a country music standard.
Observing both of these performances makes it clear that Cyrus has global fame for good reason. Overflowing with vocal skill and stage presence, she adeptly handles any type of performance expected of her, whether it’s a moving tribute to “America’s leading man” George Clooney or a seamlessly cool Glastonbury set that radiates energy and strength.