Miley Cyrus Brings a Smoky New Power to Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’

When Miley Cyrus steps into “Nothing Else Matters” beside Metallica, the striking sound is the weight of her voice against the song’s familiar opening. Her low, grainy delivery meets a melody listeners already know, giving the ballad a different centre of gravity. The performance works because she sounds comfortable inhabiting it. Even with the band that made the song famous beside her, her phrasing remains immediately recognisable.

The collaboration took place for The Howard Stern Show in September 2021, as Metallica marked the thirtieth anniversary of their self-titled Black Album. Cyrus joined the musicians in Los Angeles, while Stern hosted from New York. It was their first live performance together, bringing the singer’s long-running affection for the song into direct contact with its creators.

The footage rewards close listening. Cyrus begins with a dark, measured tone, giving the quieter lines room to settle before pushing into the larger phrases. Metallica supply the familiar instrumental framework, allowing her vocal colour to become the most conspicuous change. The sense of discovery comes from hearing a well-known song through another singer’s instincts.

The most persuasive quality here is control. A voice this rough-edged can easily make every phrase sound equally forceful; Cyrus finds contrast within that texture. Some words arrive almost conversationally, while the longer notes carry more pressure. That movement gives the performance shape. The big moments feel earned because the quieter passages have been allowed to remain quiet.

Watching James Hetfield share the song with another vocalist adds a particular resonance. He is present as its creator and as part of the band supporting this interpretation. The familiar guitar figures provide continuity, while Cyrus’s vocal attack changes the emotional surface. Their proximity makes the collaboration feel like an exchange between musicians who understand what the song needs.

There was a separate studio recording behind this meeting, too. Cyrus contributed “Nothing Else Matters” to The Metallica Blacklist, the anniversary project that invited artists to reinterpret the Black Album. Her recording featured Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith and producer Andrew Watt. The Stern Show performance is a different arrangement and occasion, with Metallica themselves playing beside her.

The song also carried personal meaning for Cyrus. In the accompanying interview, she connected an earlier Glastonbury performance with a difficult period in her life and described music as a source of stability. That context offers a way into her interpretation without requiring the listener to know her biography. The weight is audible in the patience of the delivery and the conviction behind the larger phrases.

“Nothing Else Matters” leaves considerable space around its central melody. A singer can make that space feel intimate, uneasy or defiant through small decisions about emphasis and timing. Cyrus leans into the grain of her voice, giving the performance an earthy directness. The band’s instrumental build then enlarges that feeling without removing its human scale.

The result is a compelling example of how a familiar song can accommodate a distinctive voice. Metallica’s identity remains in the sound of the instruments and the architecture of the ballad. Cyrus brings her own vocal character into that setting, and the combination holds together from the opening phrases to the closing stretch. The appeal lies in hearing both identities clearly.

For another view of Cyrus interpreting a familiar song, her “Heart of Glass” performance from the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival shifts towards a more driving rhythm. It offers a useful contrast to the deliberate pacing of “Nothing Else Matters,” while keeping her textured voice at the centre.

Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” with the San Francisco Symphony provides a second perspective on the ballad itself. Filmed for S&M2 at San Francisco’s Chase Center in 2019, it expands the song through orchestral colour, showing how much atmosphere can change around the same melodic foundation.