When I wrote about Noah Cyrus in Future Pop at the end of October, she was yet to officially announce that she was launching a pop career. I guessed that she was signed to Records in the US, and soon found out she was with Syco in the UK. Now, six weeks later, she has a single in the Billboard Hot 100, a music video with 18 million views, and she’s here in my Stars of 2017 top 10.
These are all impressive achievements (especially the last one, obv), but a burst of immediate success could simply be attributed to her celebrity connections, as the little sister of Miley and daughter of Billy Ray. It’s what comes next that will really determine whether the youngest of the Cyrus clan can forge a career when the novelty wears off. Personally I’m not sold on the debut single – I’ve always found Labrinth overrated, and this feel more like his song than hers, as it’s so typical of his style. However, she has a great voice, and I’m pleased she’s taking a different musical direction, both to her sister and to the other new female artists of the moment.
Although I hadn’t heard any of Noah’s music when I first wrote about her, I stick by the concerns I had at the time. Going straight for a more edgy sound and look removes the possibility for fans to grow with her, like they did with Miley, and anything rebellious she does lacks impact when she was never really known as a sweet and innocent child star. I’m also skeptical of the bland list of British writers and producers she’s had sessions with (Sam Romans, Two Inch Punch, and Labrinth of course), though I’m still holding out hope for the fruits of her work with Noonie Bao. Nonetheless, a teen star with a large online following and major label backing is always a promising proposition, so I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes next.
Click here to find out more about This Must Be Pop’s Stars of 2017 and come back on 19th Dec to vote for the artists you think, and hope, will be the biggest pop breakthrough of 2017. The results will be announced in the Future Pop mailer on 2nd Jan.