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Although you only know her as Miley Cyrus now, the pop sensation was more popularly known as Hannah Montana in the early 2000s. She hit it big on Disney Channel with the TV show about a singer living a double life. And fans everywhere quickly became obsessed with the songs produced surrounding it — namely “The Climb,” from The Hannah Montana movie. While it circles a Grammy nomination, learn why Cyrus’ song didn’t score a win. 

The ‘Hannah Montana’ era jump-started Miley Cyrus’ career

Miley Cyrus smiling at the camera at the premiere of 'The Hannah Montana Movie,' featuring her song 'The Climb'
Miley Cyrus at the ‘Hannah Montana Movie’ premiere. Her song ‘The Climb’ was submitted for a Grammy. | Tom Burns/Getty Images

Today, Cyrus embraces her sexuality, breaks musical boundaries, and stays authentically true to herself despite the sometimes-negative media attention it brings her. However, the Cyrus we know today was a milder version of herself during the Hannah Montana era. 

This era spanned from 2006 until 2011. During this time, Cyrus produced some of her top Billboard charting singles. Some of the most popular include “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home,” “The Best of Both Worlds,” “The Climb,” “We Got the Party,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Who Said,” and “Nobody’s Perfect.” And these are only a handful of many successful hits from her career. 

Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’ was nominated for a Grammy 

In 2009, Cyrus’ “The Climb” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media field. However, the Recording Academy soon announced it had disqualified the nomination.

According to Rolling Stone, Cyrus and her team pulled out the nomination. “Sources close to Cyrus, [said] ‘The Climb’ was never disqualified from the ballot,” the magazine revealed. “Miley did not write the tune; Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe did. It was Miley’s camp that actually withdrew the nomination, our source says, because the song was not eligible for contention (it was evidently not written specifically for the film).”

Since Miley Cyrus didn’t write “The Climb” explicitly for Hannah Montana: The Movie (although it did debut in the film), it did not qualify for a Grammy for Best Song Written For Motion Picture. 

Cyrus has climbed over many mountains in her career 

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Cyrus went years without singing ‘The Climb’ after dropping her Hannah Montana alter ego and embracing her own name and personality in music. However, she told BuzzFeed it “felt so good” singing it again in 2017 because she gave it “purpose.” 

“When there was the tragedy in Vegas, it was so amazing to be able to sing that song and be able to make it current for what everyone needed to hear: that there’s always gonna be another mountain, another struggle, but it’s all about the climb,”

Although “The Climb” did not win a Grammy, Cyrus is right. The hit single is relevant even to today’s problems. And will likely remain relevant for generations to come. 

Cyrus has indeed climbed over many mountains in her career in the last decade or more. Though she hasn’t yet won a Grammy, she did receive a nomination that stuck for her 2013 album Bangerz.

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