Pop Culture

Miley And Selena Are Taking Back Their Crowns With New Music—And The Internet Is Nostalgic

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HANNAH VS. MIKAYLA 2.0.
BY Nica Glorioso
08.22.2023

Old friends and former Disney icons Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez are coming back with new singles this August 25!

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Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez have been staples of pop culture for almost two decades now. From screens to studios, the two have been consistently booked and busy, making headlines with every move they make.

So when the world found out they were announcing (and would be releasing) singles on the same day, people were yanked straight back into the 2010s when these former Disney stars were the definition of It Girls for the younger generation. On August 25, Miley will be dropping Used to Be Young, and Selena will be dropping Single Soon ahead of her yet-to-be-completed album.

HANNAH VS. MIKAYLA, MILEY VS. SELENA?

News of a same-day single drop from the two got people reminiscing. Referencing a Hannah Montana season 2 episode where Selena Gomez guest starred as rival pop star Mikayla, @mazzypopstar on X (formerly Twitter) posted a clip of the two characters’ iconic verbal spar while on a fictional call-in talk show.

Miley and Selena, as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in Hannah Montana and Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, respectively, were Disney darlings and breakout superstars in their own right. They’ve been friends since the late aughts, and—as is unfortunately normal in celebrity culture—have also been rumored to be rivals like their Hannah Montana characters. This was driven by the fact that we apparently can’t let two young women share the spotlight side-by-side (even today, ahem) and by the Miley-Selena-Nick Jonas love triangle.

Photo from Getty Images

Even these days, as the news about their new music comes out and people on the internet are digging up remnants of the past, people are still speculating about their rumored feud. Regardless of what went down over the years, the two have shown their respect and love for one another all throughout their careers.

Just in the last few years alone, they’ve crossed paths and reached out to each other online, calling each other “old friends.” Selena even guested on Miley’s Instagram Live show to talk about mental health and living with bipolar disorder.

POP MUSIC’S BARBENHEIMER

The same-day release caused people to refer to the Barbie/Oppenheimer phenomenon, calling this “pop music’s barbenheimer.” And just to make things extra spicy, Ariana Grande is also releasing music on the 25th, albeit the digital deluxe release of Yours Truly in honor of its 10th anniversary. Pop music is going to be wild this Friday.

And playing on the hype, Miley and Selena also utilized X and Instagram to ride the wave of nostalgia and joint social media virality. Miley took to X to respond and partake in the trending viral memes about her and Selena. She quoted the clip of the telephone feud, captioning it “.@selenagomez and I are both dropping our new SINGLEs SOON…..I SAY WE #USEDTOBEYOUNG .”

She also posted a clip from her upcoming documentary special Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions) where she imitates the viral meme of Miley Stewart saying goodbye to the Malibu home in the Hannah Montana season 3 finale.

Selena also took to Instagram Stories, posting the same telephone feud clip. “@Mileycyrus and I both have a SINGLE SOON and we are releasing on the same day…We have been friends since we USED TO BE YOUNG. Excited for August 25!!!”

SELENA AND MILEY TODAY

Selena Gomez, thriving as a musician, producer, actress, and beauty entrepreneur, last released an album in 2021—a Spanish-language EP titled Revelaćion and has lent her vocals to features in songs by Rema and DJ Snake. Her recent screen stint as producer and lead actress on the mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building (currently airing its third season on Hulu) earned her critical and audience acclaim, and her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty is well-loved across the world over.

Miley Cyrus has continuously revamped and reinvigorated her versatile career through strong, authentic music with her latest release Endless Summer Vacation (2023) and its successful lead single Flowers. As acclaim for her stellar rock vocals grows, so does a more widespread recognition of her talent and ability beyond Hannah Montana and Wrecking Ball. Nostalgia and legacy are taking center stage in the current wave of pop culture, and since Miley has been an integral part of youth and pop culture from the late 2000s to the present, people think she could definitely pull off an “Eras tour” of her own.

If you grew up with these two on your screen, then you know it’s a special, nostalgic feeling to watch them interact and take on the world with no signs of stopping for years on end, despite all the wild media coverage they’ve faced. So mark your calendars: Miley and Selena are coming back with new music on August 25th to prove that they’re generational pop culture icons—and they’re going nowhere but up.

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