Hannah Montana: The Movie is the
soundtrack for the
film of the same name. The film is an adaptation of the popular
Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana, which first aired in 2006. In the television series and film, American singer–songwriter and actress
Miley Cyrus portrays
Miley Stewart, a girl with a secret
double life as the popstar
Hannah Montana. Cyrus performs twelve of the songs on the album, seven of which are credited to Hannah Montana. American recording artists
Billy Ray Cyrus,
Taylor Swift and
Rascal Flatts, and English recording artist
Steve Rushton also have songs on the soundtrack. The album was released on March 23, 2009, by
Walt Disney Records. All of the songs in the album were approved by the film's director
Peter Chelsom. He felt the film needed music that was tightly woven into the film's plot and the character's background. Several producers worked on the album, mainly
John Shanks and
Matthew Gerrard. Shanks was more involved with Cyrus and the other artists. Meanwhile, Gerrard produced Cyrus' songs as Montana; he previously wrote her hit song "
The Best of Both Worlds" (2006). A
remix of "The Best of Both Worlds" is featured as the album's closing track. Musically, the album merges heavy influences from
pop and
country. Songwriters include Cyrus, Gerrard and Swift, among others. The songs' lyrics primarily discuss the film's themes of fame, family, and love. Contemporary critics were pleased with the album. Cyrus was praised for being natural and reflected while performing as herself. They also complimented Swift's performance and debated if she or Cyrus were more dominant. The soundtrack received a nomination for a
2009 American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack, but lost to
the Twilight soundtrack.
Hannah Montana: The Movie reached the top ten in many nations, and topped charts in countries such as Austria, Canada and New Zealand. In the United States, it peaked at number one on the
Billboard 200 and the
Billboard Top Country Albums chart. By May 2009, the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album
platinum. One single released from
Hannah Montana: The Movie. The
lead single released from the album was "
The Climb". It became Cyrus' best-charting single in the United States at the time and topped
Billboard's
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. Cyrus' "
Hoedown Throwdown" was released as a
promotional single and reached the top ten on the
Irish Singles Chart. The album was promoted through exclusive releases to
Radio Disney and live performances at numerous venues. Cyrus' performed four songs from the album on her first worldwide concert tour, the
Wonder World Tour.
