Miley Cyrus Is At Her Best Channeling Janis Joplin As She Belts "Maybe" (VIDEO)
The superstar turns in another legendary performance.
If you were lucky enough to attend the 2021 Austin City Limits Music Festival, you experienced Miley Cyrus channeling Janis Joplin during an unbelievable live performance of "Maybe." But if you weren't there live, we've tracked down the next best thing: concert footage of the fantastic moment!
For two amazing back-to-back weekends in the fall of 2021, the former Coach of The Voice headlined ACL. Fans in attendance were treated to some genuinely unreal covers by Cyrus, including Cher's "Bang Bang," Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and yes, Joplin's "Maybe."
It was clear to fans that "Maybe" holds a very special place in Cyrus' heart.
"This next song is one that represents freedom to me and it represents evolution and it represents authenticity and it represents brazenness," she told the crowd before launching into the song. "And the reason why is because, like I've mentioned before, I made a lot of changes, I've experienced an evolution in front of all of you, in front of everyone… So this song is for me."
For the next three minutes, Cyrus was at her absolute best — bringing the classic song to new heights in front of a new generation of fans.
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Cyrus did it all — from hitting impossibly high notes to even perfectly replicating the grungy-growling singing style Joplin was known for. In a word? It was incredible!
It just goes to show that Cyrus is incapable of having an average live performance —- it just never happens. The 31-year-old knocks it out of the park every time she steps on stage.
One fan who commented on the above-linked video put everything in perspective:
'I am a stone-cold, die-hard Janis Joplin fan (even my dog is called' Pearl' as an ode to Janis), and I adore Miss Miley for giving this song and the artist the reverence they deserve. Loved every second of it… and I know Janis would have too," they wrote.
Here's what to know about "Maybe" by Janis Joplin
Released in 1969 as part of her first and only solo album, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, "Maybe" (along with the entire album) represented a shift from the psychedelic progressive rock Joplin associated herself with in favor of a blues-inspired soul sound.
Technically, Joplin's version of "Maybe" is a cover — the original track was recorded by The Chantels in 1957 in a doo-wop style. It was a commercial hit, reaching #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.
Joplin's "Maybe" didn't chart at any point after its release, yet the track is still regarded as one of the iconic artist's underappreciated classics.
