Miley Cyrus Says Touring Isn't Healthy For Her

[Head Empty 25,318]

10 hours ago, Pennywise said:

I can NOT understand the so-called "artists" who do not like the touring aspect of things. Like, as an international fan it is very offending because all I hear is "well I still want your money but you'll never see me there because I cannot be bothered". 

Get a grip, girlies. 

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y'all can come at me with "what about their health!!!!" and I really don't care, they can pick a different job. 

 

What

Just because you like making music and happen to excel at it, doesn't mean you HAVE to tour the world.

Having artists that tour the world is a PRIVILEGE. A luxury. We are by no means entitled to see every artist at our doorstep, ESPECIALLY not when they come from across the globe.

Listen to Mileys words again. Touring makes her feel less human. That's because people start treating her like a commodity to be seen, instead of an actual human with a life outside her perfomances. I can fully imagine that after reading some of these comments.

[ssslyboy 3,273]

6 hours ago, RodeckDanny said:

Responding to this gif and all of the “sad” reactions to my post.  You’re right - it is sad she refuses to tour because I personally love her and am disappointed I won’t have the opportunity to see her live.  I stand by what I said: her refusal to tour in any capacity is laziness.

Let’s unpack a few quotes from this interview (for anyone who happens to care about my humble opinion):

“The thing people don’t understand is that the show is 90 minutes, but that’s your life”. … Miley, we all understand that and so does every other stage performer that’s ever toured.  You haven’t toured in 9 years.  The Rolling Stones have toured regularly for decades and they’re literally in their 80s and still doing it.  Madonna’s toured for decades and almost died recently … and she’s still moving forward with a major tour across continents!  We all know what monster touring forces Gaga, Taylor and Beyonce are.  None of these artists are whining.

“I don’t wanna tour because tour buses” [paraphrased].  Madonna has never used a tour bus.  She’s flown since The Virgin Tour in 1985. Use a plane, Miley!  You can afford it.

“There’s a certain level of ego that gets used and over-used when I’m on tour."   What does this even mean?  Yes, you have to be “on” when you perform; that’s what a performer does.  A true artist lives to perform and can’t wait to be on stage in front of fans.

“Having a relationship with your fans every day … erases my humanity”.  Connecting with your fans in a live setting “erases” your connection?  K.

“Without my humanity and connection, I can’t be a songwriter, and being a songwriter is my priority”.  Ok then you are not allowed to release less than one full album per year.  (Taylor does more than that and still tours).  Until you match that release cycle, you’re on the hook for refusing to tour.

I realize she’s claiming self-preservation as a reason she can’t tour, and if touring would trigger mental health struggles for her, then I agree she shouldn't do it.  I’m just saying I don’t believe her.  Girl's financially set and just doesn’t feel like going out on the road!  *end of rant that no one cares about*

[ssslyboy 3,273]

15 minutes ago, Why am I on GGD said:

Having artists that tour the world is a PRIVILEGE. A luxury.

One could argue the artists with the ability to tour the world and make millions of dollars from their fans are the ones with the privilege and luxury (not the fans!) lol

[Head Empty 25,318]

37 minutes ago, ssslyboy said:

One could argue the artists with the ability to tour the world and make millions of dollars from their fans are the ones with the privilege and luxury (not the fans!) lol

Where did I say that Miley isn't priviledged?

All I'm saying is that we should be grateful when people choose to dedicate themselves to tour the world. It's a gift. But not an obligation. And we shouldn't take it for granted.

Making music does not equal touring.

[ssslyboy 3,273]

45 minutes ago, Why am I on GGD said:

Where did I say that Miley isn't priviledged?

All I'm saying is that we should be grateful when people choose to dedicate themselves to tour the world. It's a gift. But not an obligation. And we shouldn't take it for granted.

Making music does not equal touring.

No, but being a pop star does equal touring. We want it and expect it from our pop stars.  Fiona Apple, for example, is not a pop star.  She's created some of the best albums in rock and roll history, but only releases once every six or seven years and rarely tours.  This is perfectly acceptable for her because she's not a pop star.  Miley is a pop star, and touring is part of the gig.  Imagine if Gaga stopped touring after Monster Ball?  Also, keep in mind that artists who are "dedicating themselves" to touring are getting paid millions to do it.  Touring is  incredibly lucrative and, while I'm sure it can be grueling, artists are rewarded very handsomely for it.  They are receiving just as much of a "gift" as the fans.

[Railing 2,799]

2 hours ago, ssslyboy said:

A true artist lives to perform and can’t wait to be on stage in front of fans.

An artist does not live to perform, an artist lives to make art. An artist and a performer are, and always should be, 2 separate concepts, and a popstar should not be expected to sacrifice her mental health for the sake of people gawking at her on a stage. Her craft and her area of expertise is her music.

48 minutes ago, ssslyboy said:

Imagine if Gaga stopped touring after Monster Ball?

It would've been her right to do so. She was extremely overworked, and that led to her breaking her hip on the Born This Way Ball. And she has chronic pain. As she's said many times, she is often in physical pain while performing. It would be extremely selfish, entitled and insensitive to get mad at her for performing less, in my opinion.

[Head Empty 25,318]

1 hour ago, ssslyboy said:

No, but being a pop star does equal touring. We want it and expect it from our pop stars.  Fiona Apple, for example, is not a pop star.  She's created some of the best albums in rock and roll history, but only releases once every six or seven years and rarely tours.  This is perfectly acceptable for her because she's not a pop star.  Miley is a pop star, and touring is part of the gig.  Imagine if Gaga stopped touring after Monster Ball?  Also, keep in mind that artists who are "dedicating themselves" to touring are getting paid millions to do it.  Touring is  incredibly lucrative and, while I'm sure it can be grueling, artists are rewarded very handsomely for it.  They are receiving just as much of a "gift" as the fans.

You act like "pop star" is a job like any other. There's no job description or requirements. The pop-star mold you refer to is so common because it's the most lucrative for everyone involved: it makes a ton of money and keeps a fanbase committed as consumers. Also, a ton of artists love touring. But touring isn't mandatory.

Miley, like Gaga, is just someone who loves to make pop music and became very successful through it. And they're the ones who get to decide if the lucrative nature of touring is worth it to them.

If Gaga had stopped touring after the Monster Ball I'm sure she wouldn't have been as big of an artist as she is today. Still succesful, but not as big. But do you remember how she physically and mentally broke during the Born This Way Ball? Who knows, maybe she could've saved herself a lot of personal turmoil if she had quit touring in 2011. But obviously (and for understandable reasons at that time) she chose different.

[ssslyboy 3,273]

6 minutes ago, Railing said:

An artist does not live to perform, an artist lives to make art. An artist and a performer are, and always should be, 2 separate concepts, and a popstar should not be expected to sacrifice her mental health for the sake of people gawking at her on a stage. Her craft and her area of expertise is her music.

But the reason I fell in love with Miley, besides the phenomenal Plastic Hearts album, was her incredible stage presence at festivals,  etc. I only saw her performances on youtube and I could still tell she was a ball of energy and completely electrifying.  This is why it's so puzzling and disappointing to me that she refuses to tour at all (not even a small-scale tour).  While I do agree that creating music is an area of expertise, performing is also her area of expertise and part of her trademark.  And again, I take issue with the depiction of fans as "gawkers" at a concert when they've paid hundreds or thousands to see the artist perform.

[ssslyboy 3,273]

5 minutes ago, Why am I on GGD said:

Miley, like Gaga, is just someone who loves to make pop music and became very successful through it. And they're the ones who get to decide if the lucrative nature of touring is worth it to them.

Gaga was living and breathing pop music and performance art when she began.  It's not like she just fell into making pop music and happened to be good at it lol.  For Miley, I suppose you could make the case that pop music was just a natural transition from Hannah Montana because she loves music, and then her pop career just happened to be really successful and she's not obligated to be a stage performer (fair).  But I stand by what I said that, given her electrifying stage presence at various festival gigs the last few years, it's confusing and disappointing to not get even a small Miley tour at this point, and it feels like something is missing. This is not me feeling entitled to have her perform. This is just my strong desire.

[TEANUS 15,609]

I kind of see it as, you dont have a desire to perform these songs for your adoring fans around the globe as they scream them back at you??? I just feel like that would be the most rewarding part of being a musician. I don’t think any artist ‘loves’ these aspects of touring that she mentioned but isn’t it worth the cost if you care ab your fans that much? I just think it’s a cop out for something else idk it’s very disappointing from her when she’s such an incredible, versatile live act. Like others have mentioned why not just spread the dates out? 

[QueenMortuana 1,199]

6 hours ago, ssslyboy said:

 

I'm sorry how much her decision disappoints you. I'm also disappointed by this. I've been a fan for a very long time and it sucks to not be able to see her. If she's lazy and that's the reason why then that's okay too. We all get lazy and need to cut back in some areas to maintain energy in other arenas of life.

Maybe she's afraid to slip into old habits that she's far from, or she's concerned about her sobriety. Maybe something happened during her last few shows that made her realize touring is too much for her. We don't really know and I don't think she owes us more than what she's shared. A tour can still happen next year or somewhere down the line. Think of how often she changes her mind lol. It's just not right now.

[Ayesha Erotica 1,758]

Yes Miley, and drinking alcohol isn't healthy either!

If Miley really continued  to not drink alcohol in 3 years in a row since 2020, then I believe she is honest about this statement, but I don't know if she did, we dont really have uptodate news whether she continues to be non-alcoholic. Could be. Could be not.

[HermioneT 1,998]

I'll be happily listening, streaming and watching Mileys work and support her! Good for her to know her limits and choose a life that she wants and is good for her. Because after all, music/ the pop business is "just work" and as nice as these " I live for my fans" -statements are for fans, it's not healthy for a human being.

Also, let's face it: it's a luxury discussion on here, the majority of people listen to pop starts won't ever be able to see them live, touring or not. Going to major pop stars concerts is really expensive on it's own and for a vast majority of people it means long travels which are expensive, too 

[StrawberryBlond 14,926]

Let's just be real here - most artists who claim that touring is tough on them for whatever reason are almost always artists who don't have high touring demand in the first place. Miley was a very successful touring artist back in her Hannah Montana days but when she switched into wild child Miley, her tour demand, dates and takings decreased. Clearly, parents were no longer comfortable letting their young kids go see her and I feel like anyone who was going to see the Bangerz tour was doing so more out for kitsch value than anything, they weren't ride-or-die fans who would go to every tour. Miley's touring has been extremely limited and sporadic ever since her Gypsy Heart tour. Even with Bangerz being her most successful album, her tour earned less than $70 million. Gaga was touring with ARTPOP at the time when she was supposedly flopping and it made more than Miley's tour. Guaranteed, if Miley was churning out hit after hit on the level of Flowers and her album was going platinum, she would be properly touring. If an artist isn't touring, it's because the demand is not there. Artists are basically under contract to tour to some degree, it's part of the agreement when they're signed to a major label. Labels want to make money and touring is extremely profitable, it's one of the ways that music can be profitable in this day and age, so if a singer isn't touring with an album, it's likely a sign that the label thought it wasn't worth the expense to produce and market a tour that ultimately wouldn't sell. This isn't to diminish Miley's abilities as a performer but it's a sad fact that even good performers can have surprisingly low touring demand. It's not always clear why this is. Just like it isn't clear why some artists garner a fanbase that buys their music while others just stream. 

And it's also a case of some artists just can't be bothered with the performance side of things. Which makes me wonder why they became famous in the first place. Kate Bush has done one tour in her entire career and hasn't made an original album since 2005. The only reasons she's ever given are that she hates flying (even though she could get to these venues by train and/or boat and her crew could fly out there) and 'prioritises family life' (even though she only has one child who's now 25). Zayn Malik has released 3 albums but has never toured and has never shown any interest in promoting himself with interviews or fan interaction. I really don't understand it. To be a singer is to perform live, that's what singing is defined as. For an artist to not want to do that, no matter how infrequently...is something I just can't fathom. Miley also has no excuse to not tour when there's many artists who are older, married and/or have kids but that doesn't stop them from touring. She's young, single and childless, so she has nothing holding her back. Yes, touring is tiring, but so are most jobs, we still have to do them. And unlike famous people, we have to work all the time, not just when we feel like it, nor can we negotiate how long we can work for.

I would understand Miley's attitude to touring if she had been on a non-stop album/tour cycle for years but her last proper length tour was in 2014. She's talking as if she's experiencing burnout when the reality is, she hasn't toured in nearly a decade, so why is she so weary of it? Miley's quite a passionate performer too, I'd imagine she'd be chomping at the bit to get back on stage and entertain the masses. She was all about that up until recently.

[FameMonster01 7,074]

10 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

Let's just be real here - most artists who claim that touring is tough on them for whatever reason are almost always artists who don't have high touring demand in the first place. Miley was a very successful touring artist back in her Hannah Montana days but when she switched into wild child Miley, her tour demand, dates and takings decreased. Clearly, parents were no longer comfortable letting their young kids go see her and I feel like anyone who was going to see the Bangerz tour was doing so more out for kitsch value than anything, they weren't ride-or-die fans who would go to every tour. Miley's touring has been extremely limited and sporadic ever since her Gypsy Heart tour. Even with Bangerz being her most successful album, her tour earned less than $70 million. Gaga was touring with ARTPOP at the time when she was supposedly flopping and it made more than Miley's tour. Guaranteed, if Miley was churning out hit after hit on the level of Flowers and her album was going platinum, she would be properly touring. If an artist isn't touring, it's because the demand is not there. Artists are basically under contract to tour to some degree, it's part of the agreement when they're signed to a major label. Labels want to make money and touring is extremely profitable, it's one of the ways that music can be profitable in this day and age, so if a singer isn't touring with an album, it's likely a sign that the label thought it wasn't worth the expense to produce and market a tour that ultimately wouldn't sell. This isn't to diminish Miley's abilities as a performer but it's a sad fact that even good performers can have surprisingly low touring demand. It's not always clear why this is. Just like it isn't clear why some artists garner a fanbase that buys their music while others just stream. 

And it's also a case of some artists just can't be bothered with the performance side of things. Which makes me wonder why they became famous in the first place. Kate Bush has done one tour in her entire career and hasn't made an original album since 2005. The only reasons she's ever given are that she hates flying (even though she could get to these venues by train and/or boat and her crew could fly out there) and 'prioritises family life' (even though she only has one child who's now 25). Zayn Malik has released 3 albums but has never toured and has never shown any interest in promoting himself with interviews or fan interaction. I really don't understand it. To be a singer is to perform live, that's what singing is defined as. For an artist to not want to do that, no matter how infrequently...is something I just can't fathom. Miley also has no excuse to not tour when there's many artists who are older, married and/or have kids but that doesn't stop them from touring. She's young, single and childless, so she has nothing holding her back. Yes, touring is tiring, but so are most jobs, we still have to do them. And unlike famous people, we have to work all the time, not just when we feel like it, nor can we negotiate how long we can work for.

I would understand Miley's attitude to touring if she had been on a non-stop album/tour cycle for years but her last proper length tour was in 2014. She's talking as if she's experiencing burnout when the reality is, she hasn't toured in nearly a decade, so why is she so weary of it? Miley's quite a passionate performer too, I'd imagine she'd be chomping at the bit to get back on stage and entertain the masses. She was all about that up until recently.

You summed it all up PERFECTLY. I can't believe how many people are making excuses for her and other people in the same situation as her. Madonna for example is 65, and is still willing to give her all performing, which is something other pop stars should strive for as well.