10 things about Miley Cyrus you don't know

1. Miley Cyrus’ birth name was “Destiny Hope Cyrus” but legally had it changed in 2008 to fit her stage name: “Miley Ray Cyrus.” Her middle name she shares with her famous father and her grandfather, Ronald Ray Cyrus. “Miley,” by itself, isn’t actually a name. It’s a shortened version of the nickname she earned as a baby from her constant grinning: “Smiley.” That got slimmed down and the moniker stuck with her. Today only her grandmother is still allowed to call her by her birth name. 

2. The singer lives with a non-fatal heart disease, tachycardia. This condition signifies that the carrier has a higher than average resting heart rate, generally exceeding over 100 beats per minute. The normal range of heart rates for an adult, according to the Mayo Clinic, is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. 

3. Although Miley Cyrus is naturally left-handed, like 10% of Americans, her father forced her to write with her right hand growing up, so she wouldn’t have to “learn the world backwards.” This was a common practice in religious schools in the 1950s, where writing with your left hand was the “Devil’s Paw.” Cyrus grew up in a devout household, where she had to wake up at 5 A.M. every morning to read the Bible, and still writes with her right hand. Whenever she’s giving an autograph to a fan, she makes sure to excuse her poor penmanship, saying that if they can’t read her writing, they should blame her father.

4. However, being the daughter of a country music singer has its perks. Her godmother is none other than the legendary Dolly Parton, who popped in on a few episodes of Hannah Montana as “Aunt Dolly.” Dolly counts herself as among the actress-singer’s biggest fans. In an interview in 2008, Ms. Parton compared her to Elvis, who Cyrus counts as her biggest influence. “The kids love her because she’s Hannah Montana, but what people don’t realize about her is she is such a fantastic singer and songwriter,” Dolly said. “She writes songs like she’s 40 years old! She’s really deep.” That might hurt to read, but I’m just the messenger here.  

5. As a kid, Miley was a rather prolific songwriter, penning over 150 of her own tunes. Cyrus’ earliest original track was a love song that she wrote for Jesse McCartney, who was six years older than Cyrus and probably not interested in a pre-teen. Cyrus played it for the teen heartthrob when he guested on her show — to woo him — and McCartney claimed that he found the gesture “cute.”  

6. Cyrus has five siblings from her parents’ marriages, all of whom have been involved in showbiz. Her half-brother, Trace, also a musician. Trace was in the one-hit wonder band Metro Station, whose song “Shake It” went all the way to number 10 in 2008. The song was released in March of that year, just two months before Miley had her first shot at the Top Ten. “See You Again” likewise peaked at #10 on Billboard in May, besting her previous Hannah Montana entries “Nobody’s Perfect” and “Life’s What You Make It.”

7. Before making it on her own, Miley was very involved in her father’s music career. Her earliest gig was cleaning up all the flowers, trinkets, gifts and other paraphernalia (read: panties) that were tossed onto the stage at her fathers’ concerts. Except for the panties, these were all re-gifted to local charities and hospitals. Growing up in her father’s spotlight, Cyrus claims that her favorite song of his is “Achy Breaky Heart,” his signature tune.

8. Cyrus’ earliest TV credit was on her father’s TV series, Doc, currently syndicated on public television somewhere. A very young Miley appeared in three episodes of the Canadian program in 2001 before going onto a small role in the Tim Burton’s Big Fish two years later. Cyrus plays the not-too-important part of Ruthie, Age 8. 

9. 
   During her childhood, Miley didn’t receive formal education, relying on a personal tutor instead of public or private schooling, like many young Hollywood actors. She also admits that she never had acting lessons.
10.  Miley Cyrus got her big break starring in Disney’s Hannah Montana, a role for which she beat out 1,000 other aspiring young actresses. Miley originally auditioned for the best friend role, Lily, but producers encouraged her to go out for the lead instead. However, when Ms. Cyrus turned in her tape, they shot her down, arguing that she was “too young and too small.” But after some deliberation and a change of heart, they altered the character to fit her, even changing her name to “Miley Stewart.” Cyrus was 12 years old when she nabbed the part.