Miley Cyrus’ love of cover songs runs deep, from Britney Spears to the Cure
Gimme, gimme more Miley Cyrus covers of Britney Spears hits.
Over the weekend, the “Midnight Sky” artist debuted her own rockin’ versions of several popular songs, including Spears’ “Gimme More,” the Cranberries’ “Zombie” and the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.”
The “Hannah Montana” actress blessed us with her Spears performance as part of a brand-new “Backyard Sessions” series for “MTV Unplugged” — the same stripped-down saga that brought us Cyrus’ famous cover of “Jolene” (originally sung by her godmother, Dolly Parton) in 2012.
As for the Cranberries and the Cure, the Grammy nominee followed her “Backyard Sessions” installment with another set for Saturday’s Save Our Stages Festival benefiting the National Independent Venue Assn.’s emergency relief fund for live-music hotspots at risk of closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s a sampling of Cyrus’ performances.
‘Gimme More’
Decked out a in a fabulous zebra print getup and stylish shades, Cyrus and her pandemic pips, the Social Distancers, delivered an intimate rendition of Spears’ poppy 2007 track during the Disney Channel alum’s latest “Backyard Sessions,” which also featured covers of Nico’s “These Days” and Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe” — but those videos aren’t available on YouTube yet.
‘Sweet Jane’
Smooth riffs and rugged vibrato took center stage in Cyrus’ passionate “Backyard Sessions” take on the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”
‘Communication’
Slowing things down, another “Backyard Sessions” performance of the Cardigans’ “Communication” allowed Cyrus to showcase her signature raspy vocals while her teal eye shadow and snake-print bodysuit shimmered in the moonlight.
‘I Got So High That I Saw Jesus’
One particularly special “Backyard Sessions” moment saw Cyrus invite her younger sister, Noah Cyrus, to duet with her on the latter’s folksy March track, “I Got So High That I Saw Jesus,” spotlighting the siblings’ pitch-perfect harmonies.
‘Zombie’
Channeling Joan Jett with a shaggy mullet, smoky eye makeup and and a gothic all-black ensemble, Cyrus rocked Hollywood’s iconic Whisky a Go Go club with a head-banging cover of the Cranberries’ “Zombie” during NIVA’s Save Our Stages Fest.
‘Boys Don’t Cry’
The Save Our Stages event also saw the “Wrecking Ball” hitmaker slay high-energy performances of the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry” and her August single, “Midnight Sky.” Check out her entire Whisky a Go Go set above.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
