2023 has seen a shocking year in the pop culture zeitgeist. From high profile divorces to bombshell lawsuits, the tide is changing for the entertainment industry. Former child stars continue to speak on the need for protection for minors in the industry, including three different former Disney Channel stars turned massively successful musicians.
Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato have each forged innovative ways to find their own musical styles this year, and new ways to share their side of the narratives that typically follow child stars into adulthood. Cyrus confirmed today that a new single and accompanying lengthy interview titled “Used To Be Young” will be released on August 25. The “Flowers” singer frequently found herself on the altar of public criticism following the end of her Disney era.
Cyrus once played the titular character on “Hannah Montana” on Disney Channel. Her real life father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus, also played her onscreen father. Cyrus’ godmother and country legend Dolly Parton occasionally also made guest starring appearances. The show’s wholesome look at teenaged relationships and the music industry immediately placed a young Cyrus in a particular niche.
Miley Cyrus’ “Used To Be Young”
In the years soon following the end of the show, Cyrus would be criticized for her clothing choices, smoking marijuana, and sexuality. The singer was notably married to actor Liam Hemsworth, who she met on the set of “The Last Song.” Cyrus’ behavior was often blamed for the couple’s divorce in the public eye, ranging from her VMAs performance with Robin Thicke to her infamous red carpet lick.
This year, Cyrus released a new album that bore more emotional vulnerability lyrically than much of her previous work. Her smash hit “Flowers” is widely presumed to reference her personal healing process after the end of her relationship with Hemsworth. The full-length album that followed, titled “Endless Summer Vacation,” featured Cyrus’ matured rock-infused vocals over songs about her relationships with her family, her fans, and perhaps most importantly, herself.
August 25TH. USED TO BE YOUNG.
In celebration of my new single release Endless Summer Vacation (backyard sessions) continues. Aug 24 @ 10pm EDT on ABC. This time with a retrospective interview sharing stories about the first 30 years of my life in honor of U2BY. This song is… pic.twitter.com/auU6nH8nXC
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) August 17, 2023
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“Used To Be Young” is to be released as an independent single, with “Endless Summer Vacation Part Two” dropping on Disney+. It is widely believed that the song and accompanying interview will comprehensively address the public fixation on Cyrus’ life and career.
Demi Lovato Reclaiming Queer Identity And Commenting On Age Gaps In Entertainment
Demi Lovato dropped “29” in 2022, which references the singer’s previous relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama, who was allegedly 29 to her 17. The track sparked a reckoning across social media regarding the emotional trauma of sizable age gap relationships during the teenage years, and the importance of keeping young performers educated on this phenomenon.
Following the success of the album, the singer began the process of re-recording several of her biggest hits in her preferred rock-n-roll style. The most recent track “Sorry Not Sorry” featured rock icon Slash. The rock version of “Confident” drops on August 18.
Confident (Rock Version) out this Friday ???? have you pre-saved? pic.twitter.com/zKn6ecJKyf
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) August 16, 2023
On top of reclaiming her musical style, which she alleged her previous record label did not approve of in her early career years, Lovato also continues to advocate for the nonbinary community. Lovato preferred “they/them” pronouns, and eventually requested “she/they” pronouns instead. While Lovato still does not feel that she belongs in a strict gender binary, she stated that it was “exhausting” having to constantly educate everyone regarding the nonbinary existence. Lovato continues to assert her gender identity as queer and nonbinary.
Selena Gomez On Mental Health
Gomez premiered her documentary “My Mind & Me”, which revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis and details of her life with lupus, in 2022. Gomez continues to advocate for mental health causes through her music and popular cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty. The singer, who currently also stars in Hulu’s “Only Murders in The Building”, teased some behind-the-scenes polaroids from the shoot for a new music video.
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Y’all have been asking for new music for a while. Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer. SINGLE SOON. August 25th. Presave it now. ???? https://t.co/wal44m2ISS pic.twitter.com/g0kEdUHMnc
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) August 17, 2023
Fans of both Gomez and Cyrus were excited to see the pair return to the music industry on the same day.
Not Miley & Selena being the Barbie and Oppenheimer of our generation pic.twitter.com/PkmQNwKRve
— jayla the insider (@malibusgomez) August 17, 2023
Fans of all three artists look forward to their respective upcoming releases, and the unique impact each had on Gen Z viewers and listeners.
They were part of so many people’s childhood.
— Anne ???????? (@AnneLuvTheReUp) August 17, 2023
Gomez’ new track, “Single Soon”, drops August 25.
