After some not-so-subtle social media teasing, Miley Cyrus confirmed that she would return to the Disney fold with a new music special, Miley Cyrus — Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), set to premiere March 10 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Disney+.
The special will find Cyrus performing songs from her new album, Endless Summer Vacation (also out March 10) for the first time. The show will boast a rendition of her latest hit, “Flowers,” seven additional tracks from the album, a special collaboration with Rufus Wainwright, and one classic hit. She revealed on Sunday, March 5 that the classic song she’ll perform is “The Climb.”
“It’s been 14 years since The Climb was released,” she posted on Twitter, along with a teaser video featuring her performing a bit of the song. Her hit track “The Climb” appeared on the soundtrack for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Along with all the music, the special will feature an interview with Cyrus, filmed in the same house where she shot the music video for “Flowers” (which is also where Frank Sinatra used to live).
Along with reuniting with Disney — where Cyrus got her start as the star of Hannah Montana — the Endless Summer Vacation series finds the singer reviving her long-running (albeit sporadic) “Backyard Sessions” series. The first of these intimate performances arrived in 2012, with Cyrus bringing the series back in 2015 to coincide with the launch of her Happy Hippie Foundation. She revived it again in late 2020 during the pandemic and as she promoted her album Plastic Hearts.
The “Backyard Sessions” have often featured Cyrus performing various covers alongside her own material. Some of her covers over the years include the Replacements’ “Androgynous,” Against Me!’s “True Trans Soul Rebel” (which she performed with Laura Jane Grace), Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” and Nico’s Jackson Browne-penned classic “These Days.”
Endless Summer Vacation marks Cyrus’ eighth studio album and first since Plastic Hearts (though she did drop a live album, Attention: Miley Live, last year). The LP will feature guest appearances from Sia and Brandi Carlile.
This March 3 story was updated on March 5 to include the news that Miley Cyrus will perform her 2009 song “The Climb” during the special along with a teaser of the performance.