# Younger Now
**Younger Now** is the sixth studio album by the American singer [Miley Cyrus](https://www.edgepedia.org/miley-cyrus), released on September 29, 2017 through [RCA Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/rca-records). It marked a deliberate turn away from the hip-hop-influenced pop of *[Bangerz](https://www.edgepedia.org/bangerz)* (2013) and the psychedelic collaboration *Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz* (2015) toward a stripped-down, country-leaning sound drawing on her family's musical roots.[1](https://www.theaudiodb.com/album/2285380-Miley-Cyrus-Younger-Now) • [2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-09-24/im-not-afraid-of-who-i-used-to-be-miley-cyrus-on-younger-now)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / ordinal | Sixth studio album by Miley Cyrus, then 24 years old[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) |
| Released | September 29, 2017, on RCA Records[1](https://www.theaudiodb.com/album/2285380-Miley-Cyrus-Younger-Now) |
| Length / tracks | 11 tracks, 41 minutes[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) |
| Writing and production | Cyrus co-wrote and co-produced all 11 tracks with producer Oren Yoel[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) |
| Guest | Dolly Parton, Cyrus's godmother, on "Rainbowland"[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) |
| Critical aggregate | Metacritic average of 66 from 8 reviews, "generally favorable"[4](https://riffiter.com/artist/miley-cyrus/younger-now); Pitchfork scored it 4.7[5](https://musiccritic.com/miley-cyrus/younger-now/) |
| Certification | Gold in Brazil, 20,000 units as of 2021[6](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/31134) |
## Background and title
Cyrus announced the album on August 8, 2017, posting the title in script on the back of a bedazzled jacket on her website alongside the release date.[7](https://miley-cyrus.fandom.com/wiki/Younger_Now_%28album%29) In an NPR interview before release, she explained that the title came from a Christmas conversation with her mother: dressed in a reindeer costume with blinking earrings and antlers, she was asked when she had become an eight-year-old, and answered, "I feel younger now." She framed the record's theme as no longer needing to prove anything: "even though it's not who I am, I'm not afraid of who I used to be."[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-09-24/im-not-afraid-of-who-i-used-to-be-miley-cyrus-on-younger-now) The opening title track carries that line.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574)
The album followed a period of sharp image shifts. After her [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) debut on *Hannah Montana* in 2006 and a triple-platinum debut album in 2007, Cyrus reinvented herself with the hip-hop-leaning *Bangerz* in 2013, then released the 23-track, Flaming Lips-assisted *Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz* free online in 2015.[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-09-24/im-not-afraid-of-who-i-used-to-be-miley-cyrus-on-younger-now) • [8](https://time.com/4793888/young-popstars-look-to-past/) According to her later account, the reconciliation with her fiancé [Liam Hemsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-hemsworth) during 2016 influenced the direction of the record.[9](https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/younger-now)
## Music and lyrical themes
The record blends [country pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/country-pop) with pop-rock and soft touches of soul; the library catalog description calls its sound "more positive, folk-infused," and Apple Music describes a "tender, more pastel touch" compared with the neon flash of *Bangerz*. Unlike those collaboration-heavy predecessors, the album invites only one guest, [Dolly Parton](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolly-parton).[10](https://www.richlandlibrary.com/catalog/detail/947915) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) Its lyrics center on love and change: the breezy "Malibu" was dedicated to her then-fiancé Liam Hemsworth, "Bad Mood" deals in heartache, and "Week Without You" teases a departing partner.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) "She's Not Him," a melancholy ballad addressing attraction to a woman, drew attention as one of the album's more personal songs.[11](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/miley-cyrus-shows-remarkable-growth-album-younger-now/story?id=50187196) The duet "Rainbowland" with Dolly Parton opens with a voicemail from Parton, "I'm excited about singin' with you," and closes with her teasing that the song was probably written about a boy.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574) "Inspired," one of the released singles, is a song supporting LGBTQ+ rights.[10](https://www.richlandlibrary.com/catalog/detail/947915) • [12](https://d.namu.moe/w/Younger%20Now)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. Metacritic assigned an average of 66 from 8 reviews, in the "generally favorable" band.[4](https://riffiter.com/artist/miley-cyrus/younger-now) Positive notices included ABC News, which praised "remarkable and much-needed growth" and called the record even and satisfying, highlighting "She's Not Him," the title track, and "I Would Die for You."[11](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/miley-cyrus-shows-remarkable-growth-album-younger-now/story?id=50187196) AllMusic saw it as the album announcing Cyrus's mature phase, one that shakes off the haze of *Dead Petz*, while noting that the slick production sometimes turns individual songs into irony.[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/younger-now-mw0003095582) Cryptic Rock gave it 4.5 of 5 stars, calling the album a testament to Cyrus's talent as co-producer and author of the lyrics.[14](https://crypticrock.com/miley-cyrus-younger-now-album-review/)
Detractors focused on restraint. Pitchfork's review, by Claire Lobenfeld on the release date, gave the album 4.7 and argued that "bland production and weak songwriting" reduced a personal record to "merely a suggestion of the kind of artist Miley Cyrus could be."[5](https://musiccritic.com/miley-cyrus/younger-now/) • [15](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/miley-cyrus-younger-now/) Rolling Stone described it as a promising singer "self-consciously striking a more conservative pose," and other critics called it safe and sanitized compared with her earlier, messier records.[16](https://www.metacritic.com/music/younger-now/miley-cyrus/critic-reviews?dist=neutral) On the aggregate site Best Ever Albums it holds a Bayesian average of 59.6/100 and a mean of 56.2/100.[17](https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=123214)
## Commercial performance and legacy
The album sold modestly. It was certified Gold in Brazil for 20,000 units as of 2021.[6](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/31134) Retrospective writing places the record within Cyrus's pattern of genre exploration: R&B-influenced pop on *Bangerz*, country pop on *Younger Now*, and FM rock on *Plastic Hearts* (2020).[18](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/05/30/with-something-beautiful-miley-cyrus-balances-dance-fervor-and-overly-stylized-pop_6741824_30.html) A Los Angeles Times review of her later work characterized her as having used each album to explore a single genre, with *Younger Now* as her country entry.[19](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-03-14/miley-cyrus-album-review-endless-summer-vacation) A Rolling Stone review of *Plastic Hearts* contrasted the two records, saying that where *Younger Now* dabbled in a rootsier sound without much substance, Cyrus had more to say on the later album.[20](https://metacritic.com/music/plastic-hearts/miley-cyrus/critic-reviews)
## References
1. [Younger Now – Miley Cyrus, TheAudioDB](https://www.theaudiodb.com/album/2285380-Miley-Cyrus-Younger-Now)
2. ['I'm Not Afraid Of Who I Used To Be': Miley Cyrus On 'Younger Now', NPR via WPRL](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-09-24/im-not-afraid-of-who-i-used-to-be-miley-cyrus-on-younger-now)
3. [Younger Now – Album by Miley Cyrus, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/younger-now/1462327574)
4. [Younger Now by Miley Cyrus, Ratings & Reviews, Riffiter](https://riffiter.com/artist/miley-cyrus/younger-now)
5. [Miley Cyrus: YOUNGER NOW Review, MusicCritic](https://musiccritic.com/miley-cyrus/younger-now/)
6. [YOUNGER NOW by MILEY CYRUS sales and awards, Best Selling Albums](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/31134)
7. [Younger Now (album), Miley Cyrus Wiki](https://miley-cyrus.fandom.com/wiki/Younger_Now_%28album%29)
8. [Pop's Young a-Listers Look to the Past, TIME](https://time.com/4793888/young-popstars-look-to-past/)
9. [Younger Now, HMV Store](https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/younger-now)
10. [Younger Now, Richland Library catalog](https://www.richlandlibrary.com/catalog/detail/947915)
11. [Miley Cyrus shows remarkable growth in new album 'Younger Now', ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/miley-cyrus-shows-remarkable-growth-album-younger-now/story?id=50187196)
12. [Younger Now, Namu wiki](https://d.namu.moe/w/Younger%20Now)
13. [Miley Cyrus: Younger Now Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/younger-now-mw0003095582)
14. [Miley Cyrus – Younger Now (Album Review), Cryptic Rock](https://crypticrock.com/miley-cyrus-younger-now-album-review/)
15. [Miley Cyrus: Younger Now Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/miley-cyrus-younger-now/)
16. [Mixed Critic Reviews for Younger Now, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/younger-now/miley-cyrus/critic-reviews?dist=neutral)
17. [Younger Now (studio album) by Miley Cyrus, Best Ever Albums](https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=123214)
18. [With 'Something Beautiful,' Miley Cyrus balances dance fervor and overly stylized pop, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/05/30/with-something-beautiful-miley-cyrus-balances-dance-fervor-and-overly-stylized-pop_6741824_30.html)
19. [How Miley Cyrus got her groove back on new album, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-03-14/miley-cyrus-album-review-endless-summer-vacation)
20. [Critic Reviews for Plastic Hearts, Metacritic](https://metacritic.com/music/plastic-hearts/miley-cyrus/critic-reviews)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2010s albums › Fourth and later albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license