By: Anna Fahy
Few artists can completely change the world’s view on a song through live performance, as Miley Cyrus did with her Record of the Year winner “Flowers” at this year’s Grammys. Cyrus had a lot of pressure weighing on this performance. Not only was it the first live TV performance of the song, but it was also the top-streamed song of 2023. Every person watching the Grammys had a preconceived notion of the song. Cyrus had the opportunity to reimagine that notion of the song with an unforgettable performance—a feat few artists have achieved. And boy, did she deliver.
Cyrus invited us into her performance with open arms, decked out in a Tina Turner-inspired vintage Bob Mackie mirrorball dress and a voluminous blowout. Right off the bat, her unique gravely alto sound poured into the audience’s ears, producing a different-than-recorded rock and roll vibe throughout the entire performance.
Piping up during the first chorus—Cyrus made her first memorable crowd call out, yelling, “Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?” (so true). As someone lucky enough to have been to the Grammys, I know how tough of a crowd the usually seated artists can be. This comment prompted everyone to stand up and start dancing along.
Each line delivery was intentional and had a choreographed movement throughout the performance’s first half. Through this, Cyrus invited us to reimagine each line almost poetically to understand and genuinely think about the song’s lyrics. Just Miley, alone with only her microphone on stage, her shimmies, eye contact, and the occasional added riff captivated the world.
Cyrus’ second set of call-outs pointed at the song’s story of a rocky relationship: “I didn’t want to leave you-(but had to)” then “I didn’t want to fight-(but we did)” point to Cyrus’ spirit of, well blatant acknowledgment of struggle. Finishing off the chorus, she reminds us of the true spirit of the song by shouting, “Started to cry, but remembered I- I just won my first Grammy!” She moved through this joy by dancing freely—contrasted by her previously choreographed moves. It expressed a pure form of the freedom of being single. The root of the song, how she’s better off now and can take care of herself, exemplified in the exclamation of the most significant success of Cyrus’ career so far, is the x-factor of the performance that will make nobody think of “Flowers” the same.
But did it end there? Not even with a dramatic end of the recorded song and a step away from the mic. With cheers erupting around her for a few seconds after closing the song, Cyrus’ decision to pull in a Tina-Turner style encore—finishing off the performance with an extended chorus with gorgeously executed riffs—continued the fun of the performance. It further ingrained the performance in everyone’s mind and helped to reimagine the song in the rock and roll style. Concluded with a dramatic mic drop and walk-off stage, Cyrus exuded the confidence of an artist who just made the world become re-obsessed with the most-played song of 2023.
Through Cyrus’ unforgettable performing style, crafted call-outs, and dramatic encore, she made the world reimagine the pop hit as a free celebration of success with a twang of rock and roll.
