Job: actor, singer
Age: 16
Industry: music, broadcasting
New entry
For parents with children of a certain age, the inclusion of Miley Cyrus in this year's MediaGuardian 100 is likely to prompt a weary smile and a knowing nod of recognition. Others might be forgiven a little bemusement.
Cyrus is the world's biggest ever teenage pop star thanks to her TV show, Hannah Montana, which debuted on the Disney Channel in 2006 and has become one of the biggest money-spinning brands in the world.
A devout Christian and the daughter of the country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who also appears in the show, she won the role after an audition process that lasted nearly two years.
The story of an ordinary schoolgirl called Miley who moonlights as a famous rock star, Hannah Montana has spawned hit movies, albums and sell-out concerts. Cyrus earned an estimated $26m (£15.9m) in the 12 months to June last year, according to Forbes magazine. She also played at one of the concerts at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration and wrote her autobiography – aged 16 – called Miles to Go.
"People say, 'Oh, the numbers aren't important.' Yes they are!" Cyrus told the Times. "I wanna know how many people are seeing that episode.
"For me it's all about the love of acting and the love of music. But then again, when you see 3 million, 4 million, 5 million pop up on your screen, and say that you're doing that single-handledly, it's pretty insane. 'Cause it wasn't like I just got an easy free ride."
Cyrus is the most popular personality on the Disney Channel, which also gave us High School Musical and the Jonas Brothers, one of whom – the youngest, Nick – Cyrus used to date.
She also has the potential to earn more than her Disney predecessor, Britney Spears. But making the transition from child star to adult is not always an easy one, as Cyrus found out when she appeared in a scantily-clad photoshoot for Vanity Fair, prompting outraged headlines around the world.
"It was one honestly dumb decision," said Cyrus. "I think I just kinda got put under pressure and that's OK, 'cause I learned a lot from it." Cyrus also denied accusations of racism after a picture of her making a slanty-eyed face appeared on the internet. She said she was "simply making a goofy face".
Of her religious beliefs, Cyrus said: "Christianity doesn't promise perfection, but it does presume that you'll try to live like Christ. And hopefully I'm doing a good job." Her supremely self-assured appearance on Jonathan Ross's BBC1 chatshow was described by one viewer as "so annoying she was actually funny". Ross described her as the "scariest person" he had ever interviewed.
But while tween and teenage viewers cannot get enough of Hannah Montana, adult viewers might find it hard to stomach. "Hypercaffeinated, hypersugared, hypercoloured, hyper-distressing," was the Guardian's Lucy Mangan's take on the show. "It's like Dawson's Creek through the looking glass. Help me back, somebody, please."