11 Surprising Things You Need to Know About Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus has been in the media spotlight since the day she was born, or at least since she started playing Hannah Montana in 2001. Since that iconic television role, there have been multiple movies, six albums, 27 singles and several world concert tours that have given her celebrity status staying power. The girl isn’t shy about exposing herself to her fans – quite literally, recently. She’s an unabashed open book with a penchant for shocking her way into the headlines. Think you know everything there is to know about the entertainer/provocateur? Read on to learn more.

1. Miley’s Just a Nickname

Her birth name was Destiny Hope, but her smiley disposition when she was a baby led to the nickname “Smiley” which morphed into “Miley” over time. She legally changed it to Miley in 2008. The name Destiny has a certain star quality to it, too, but Miley’s kind of grown on us.