SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
This week, pop star Miley Cyrus accomplished a feat that had eluded her for more than a decade. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music has more.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Thirteen years ago this month, Miley Cyrus hit number one with an album called "Bangerz."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WE CAN'T STOP")
MILEY: (Singing) We run things, things don't run we. Don't take nothing from nobody. Yeah, yeah.
THOMPSON: In the years since, Cyrus has released some huge hits and even won record of the year at the Grammys for her 2023 song, "Flowers."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FLOWERS")
MILEY: (Singing) I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.
THOMPSON: But her albums haven't hit number one since that long-ago fall of 2013. Just last year, her album, "Something Beautiful," spent a single week in the top 10, peaking at No. 4 before dropping off the chart entirely two weeks later. But this week, Miley Cyrus is back at No. 1. "Bass Persuades" debuts in the top spot on this week's albums chart. It's an impressive rebound for the singer who has two songs on this week's Hot 100 and recently hit the top 40 with the new album's title track.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BASS PERSUADES")
MILEY: (Singing) The kids don't wanna dance, the kids don't wanna dancе. The kids don't wanna dance, the kids don't wanna dance.
THOMPSON: The singer recently rebranded from Miley Cyrus to just Miley, sort of like Madonna or Cher. So she has to be happy with the chart performance of her first album as Miley. But there are a few asterisks worth noting. "Bass Persuades" is hitting No. 1 during an unusually slow week on the charts, and it barely surpassed the albums at numbers 2 and 3. And despite strong sales, the first week's streaming numbers for "Bass Persuades" are actually weaker than those of its predecessor. Still, a chart-topping album is a chart-topping album, and after a long and fruitful career as Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, Miley will surely take it.
Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BASS PERSUADES")
MILEY: (Singing) Let's go. The kids don't wanna dance, the kids don't wanna dancе. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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