Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus

Background and composition

During production of the first season of Hannah Montana, Cyrus commented that "right now we're just all really focused on making Hannah Montana the show as good as it can be, but hopefully in the future there may be a Hannah Montana soundtrack [or] a Miley Cyrus album." The series itself premiered through the Disney Channel on March 24, 2006, and became an immediate commercial success; with 5.4 million viewers, the pilot episode earned the channel the highest ratings in its history at the time. The following month, it was reported that an accompanying soundtrack and Cyrus' debut studio album had both begun production, the latter of which was scheduled to be released in early 2007. The first soundtrack Hannah Montana (2006) debuted at number one with first-week sales of 286,000 copies, becoming the first television soundtrack to debut in the peak position of the chart.

In the series, Cyrus portrays the character Miley Stewart, a teenager who lives the secret double life as the pop star Hannah Montana. She stated that "most songs for the first season reflect the show, with Miley or Hannah making sure the other doesn't get caught or whatever," opining that the tracks provided series producers with the opportunity to "make sure that everyone understood the characters". By comparison, Cyrus described material used during the second season as "more speaking out to the fans." Heather Phares from AllMusic described Cyrus' vocals on her personal tracks as being "lower and throatier" with "more organic and rock-oriented" instrumentation.

Throughout the record, Kathi Kamen Goldmark from Common Sense Media noted the inclusion of "positive, self-empowering messages for tween girls". Hannah Montana 2 continued to discuss Cyrus' double life on the program, notably in the tracks "Rock Star" and "Old Blue Jeans". Friendships are addressed during "Right Here", "You and Me Together", and "True Friend". The songs "Nobody's Perfect", "Make Some Noise", and "Life's What You Make It" discuss maintaining an optimistic outlook in life. Meet Miley Cyrus explored "more serious objects" including teen romances. Its closing track "I Miss You" is a dedication to Cyrus' late grandfather. Hannah Montana 2 was later reissued as a two-disc special edition subtitled the Rock Star Edition. It included a remix of the track "We Got the Party" with the Jonas Brothers, an acoustic version of "One in a Million", and a DVD of live performances. Meet Miley Cyrus was omitted from the re-released pressings.

Singles and promotion

"Nobody's Perfect" was originally released on March 20, 2007, with the reissue of the original Hannah Montana soundtrack. The track was later serviced as the lead single from Hannah Montana 2, and was individually released on May 15. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Despite not releasing official follow-up singles, several tracks from the soundtrack charted in the United States. "Life's What You Make It" was the highest-peaking track from the record, having entered the chart at number 25. "Rock Star", "Make Some Noise", and "True Friend" charted in the lower ends of the Billboard Hot 100, having respectively reached numbers 81, 92, and 99.

"See You Again" was serviced as the lead single from Meet Miley Cyrus. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first track to reach the top-ten in the United States. Its "Rock Mafia Remix" was included on Cyrus' second studio album Breakout (2008), and was released on May 20, 2008 as an individual single. "Start All Over" was later released as the second single from the record; the track peaked at number 68 in the United States. Its accompanying music video was premiered on January 29, 2008. "G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)" was not released as an official single from Meet Miley Cyrus, although it was promoted with a performance at the 2007 Disney Channel Games and charted at number 91 in the United States. 5 songs from Hannah Montana 2 have charted in the Hot 100 and 3 from Meet Miley Cyrus.

Cyrus embarked on the nationwide Best of Both Worlds Tour in 2007 and 2008. It primarily served as a promotional tool for Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus; however, "Just Like You", "Pumpin' Up the Party", "I Got Nerve", and "The Best of Both Worlds" from the original Hannah Montana soundtrack were also included in its set list. The tour proved commercially successful, having grossed $54 million by its conclusion, while its 2008 film adaption Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert earned $70 million. The latter was released as a Walmart-exclusive CD/DVD set, titled Best of Both Worlds Concert, in March 2008.

Critical reception

Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares expressed concern that Cyrus was "in danger of being overshadowed by the role she plays", but complimented that incorporation of "shiny, synth-driven pop and strummy acoustic ballads", praising the album. She also noted Cyrus' "East Northumberland High" as the standout track from both discs. Kathi Kamen Goldmark from Common Sense Media opined that releasing Hannah Montana 2 and Meet Miley Cyrus as a single project was a value for the younger audience it attracted. However, she criticized its production for being "synthesized and over-processed", and added that the records would "irritate anyone with more mature musical taste." However, Bob Smithouser and Bob Waliszewski from PluggedIn provided a more favorable review, stating that the album was "a great pick for [Cyrus'] tween fan base" and compared its musical style to that of Ashlee Simpson. Shirley Halperin from Entertainment Weekly shared a similar sentiment, further comparing its sound to those of Hilary Duff and Avril Lavigne. She opined that the first disc "delivers pure pop candy and impresses with R&B-tinged ballads", while the second disc was notable for its "risk-taking" lyrics.

Commercial performance

In the United States, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 326,000 copies. In doing so, it surpassed the first-week sales of the original Hannah Montana soundtrack, which opened with 281,000 units the previous year. The record was later certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding shipments of four million copies. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus opened at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart, and was recognized with a platinum certification in the country. In March 2008, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus reached number six the same week that Best of Both Worlds Concert reached number 10 in its second week of availability. In doing so, Cyrus became the first person to two records in the top-ten of the Billboard 200 since Ray Charles accomplished this in 2004. It also charted at number 18 on the Top 100 Mexico, where it was later certified gold.

Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus performed well throughout Europe. Its highest peak in the continent was on the Norwegian VG-lista, where it reached number eight. The record also reached the top twenty on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, the Danish Tracklisten, the Portuguese Albums Chart, and the Swedish Sverigetopplistan. It charted lower on the German Media Control Charts, the Swiss Hitparade, and the French SNEP, where it respectively reached numbers 47, 69, and 178. The record peaked at number 46 on the Spanish PROMUSICAE and was awarded with a gold certification, and was also certified gold in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry. The album reached number 50 on the Swedish Sverigetopplistan, and eventually earned platinum recognition. In Oceania, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus respectively charted at numbers 20 and 6 on the Australian ARIA Charts and the Official New Zealand Music Chart. In the former country, it was certified platinum.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Disney's Karaoke Series

Disney's Karaoke Series: Hannah Montana 2 is a karaoke album released by Walt Disney Records on September 16, 2008. It is composed of eight tracks from Hannah Montana 2, which are credited to Hannah Montana. Each track is included in both instrumental and vocal versions.

Artist Karaoke Series

Artist Karaoke Series is a karaoke album released by Walt Disney Records on May 20, 2008. It is composed of eight instrumental tracks from Meet Miley Cyrus, which are credited to Miley Cyrus.