Miley Cyrus paid dearly for a Disney slip with one of her first hits

 Miley Cyrus owes her rise to stardom to Disney . Thanks to Hannah Montana , the 2006 Disney Channel series, the singer and actress made her vocal and acting talent known and earned the trust of the industry, leading to countless artistic opportunities, attracting a huge fan base and establishing herself. as one of the greatest talents on the musical scene. However, at the beginning of her career, she also suffered from some slip-up caused by the mouse company , such as a disqualification from the Grammy Awards .

It happened in 2009, when the Flowers or Wrecking Ball singer aroused passions with The Climb , one of the songs that were part of the soundtrack of Hannah Montana: The Movie, her jump to the cinema. Seeing the furor that the singer aroused, Disney did not settle for a routine product to bring the character to the big screen, but rather they made an effort to build a film that would highlight Miley's musical virtues and expand her legacy. For this reason, they decided to rely on established talent and adapt some of her work to this musical title.

This was the case of Taylor Swift , who in the wake of her meteoric career participated with her ballad Crazier and composed the song You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home with Martin Johnson from the group Boys Like Girls . Also from renowned country artists such as Jessi Alexander , who together with her composer Jon Maebe earned the respect of Disney with a ballad that, after some adaptation work, ended up becoming The Climb , which became established as the great song of the film and as one of the anthems of Miley Cyrus' career.

You just have to see that the song earned the respect of the music industry, something not easy considering that it comes from a product unlikely to be taken seriously like a Hannah Montana movie . However, the song resonated so deeply that even the Grammys nominated it in the category of Best Song for Film, Television or Other Media , which marked Miley Cyrus ' first candidacy for these renowned awards. But this story had a sad ending.

As reported by media such as Variety Due to a slip of communication by Disney, the Grammys discovered that The Climb was not written exclusively for Hannah Montana: The Movie , which inevitably resulted in their disqualification. As it was based on a previous composition written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Maebe, it was considered that it did not meet the standards to enter this category, for which the songs must be products designed specifically for an audiovisual product.

“ Walt Disney Records was proactive and communicative with our awards department and verified that the song was not written specifically for Hannah Montana: The Movie (as established by the eligibility rules),” highlighted the Grammy statement regarding the disqualification of The Climb . , to which Disney could only react by collaborating and accepting the situation. “Based on this information, the Academy has fulfilled the request for the seal. “Per our process in this circumstance, the Academy has selected the next eligible song in this category.”

A questionable decision

However, the composers did not agree with the decision . In an interview with THAT ONE, Jessi Alexander highlighted that, although the song existed prior to Hannah Montana: The Movie , the theme changed almost completely to adapt to Miley's style and the film. “We started a song. It was actually called “It's the Climb” and was a more spiritual song, sung in the third person . And it was really about my problems and Jon's problems in the music business,” she recounted of the initial version.

When the director of the film knocked on their door, they worked with many drafts to find the approach that best suited the singer, which included eliminating all references to her personal life, the more spiritual side of the lyrics and changing the perspective. from third to first person. For this reason, she considers that The Climb was in a “gray area” that fit within the requirements requested by the Grammys.

“Before filming, Peter Chelsom, the director of Hannah Montana: The Movie , came to Nashville and heard my music and wanted me to submit songs for the movie. I put the song "It's the Climb" on a CD, and he called back a few weeks later and said that the song was going to be an integral part of the movie, and that all he needed was for me to change what I would consider a substantial amount of the song . And that's where the gray area is,” the composer continued.

“ Like I said, it was a more spiritual song. And we had to think about how much we can change to maintain the integrity of the song. But after many drafts back and forth, we all got to a good place. I felt like it was perfect for the movie, and they told me, you know, 'This is perfect for Miley, it's going to change her life,'” she clarified.

However, after Disney's communication error, little could be done , resulting in this opportunity for Miley and the composers of The Climb to aspire to the Grammy going to waste. Fortunately, the singer's talent ended up being recognized by these awards for other works such as Flowers , a song with which she won the awards for Best Song and Best Recording in 2024. The same for Jessi Alexander, who in 2013 achieved a double nomination in the Best Country Song category with her songs De ella Mine Would Be You and I Drive Your Truck .