Miley Cyrus and Billy Idol Turn ‘Rebel Yell’ Into an Electrifying iHeartRadio Duet

When Billy Idol invited Miley Cyrus onto the stage at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, “Rebel Yell” became a duet between two performers with very different musical histories and an obvious appetite for the same song. The surprise appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival placed Cyrus inside one of Idol’s signature numbers, turning a familiar concert finale into a shared showcase.

The collaboration took place during Idol’s set on the festival’s opening night in 2016. iHeartRadio’s contemporary account described him introducing Cyrus before they launched into “Rebel Yell,” with the pair trading vocal lines and moving together down the stage’s catwalk. Rather than a brief walk-on, her arrival gave the performance a second lead voice and a new source of momentum.

Cyrus made her admiration visible before she sang. Her outfit included customised Billy Idol sunglasses and trousers, along with a leather jacket bearing his image. The styling placed her in the position of an enthusiastic fan joining an established rock star, while the performance gave her room to bring her own vocal personality to his material.

That combination helps explain the duet’s appeal. Idol’s recognisable snarl anchors the song, while Cyrus brings a rough, forceful vocal character that sits naturally beside it. Their exchange works because the two voices retain their identities. The pleasure comes from hearing them answer one another inside an arrangement already built for a commanding frontperson.

The chemistry is also physical. The organiser’s report describes them walking side by side along the catwalk, and the concert photographs capture their shared delight: raised arms, microphones held high and smiles under the red stage lights. Those gestures make the collaboration feel participatory, with Cyrus visibly enjoying the opportunity and Idol sharing the spotlight.

“Rebel Yell” gives that energy a clear musical shape. Its distinctive opening guitar figure establishes anticipation before the vocal takes over, and the refrain provides a natural point of return for both singers and audience. With two lead performers, the song gains another way to build towards that release. The recording below captures their iHeartRadio duet.

The song’s construction explains some of its durability. Speaking to Guitar Player, guitarist and co-writer Steve Stevens recalled that the music developed at Electric Lady Studios before Idol arrived with the lyrics. Stevens described sketching the arrangement with a LinnDrum and hearing it take off once drummer Thommy Price became involved.

Stevens also traced the opening guitar figure to a fingerpicked idea influenced by Leo Kottke, which he had worked on with an earlier band. For the original recording, he said he played the track live with Price and bassist Steve Webster. Those details reveal the instrumental foundation beneath a song often remembered first through Idol’s voice and stage presence.

Released on Idol’s 1983 album of the same name, “Rebel Yell” was already an established part of his catalogue long before the Las Vegas collaboration. Bringing Cyrus into it allowed the song to become an exchange across generations. Her contribution did not require a wholesale reinvention of the arrangement; the familiar framework supplied the space for a different voice.

The setting helped that exchange travel beyond the arena. iHeartMedia’s festival recap listed the duet among the weekend’s surprise collaborations. The organiser said the event was carried on radio across 150 markets and streamed by The CW, with a later television special. That broader platform gave a single guest appearance several routes to reach listeners outside Las Vegas.

What remains compelling is the sense of enjoyment at the centre of the performance. Cyrus approaches the song with the enthusiasm of someone who wants to sing it, and Idol gives that enthusiasm a place inside his own show. The result offers the excitement of a guest appearance while keeping the focus on the voices, the band and the familiar pull of the chorus.

For a later chapter in their partnership, the first related video pairs “Night Crawling” with “White Wedding” at the Super Bowl TikTok Tailgate. It comes from a separate event and places the two singers together again, this time following their collaboration on Cyrus’s Plastic Hearts album.

A second companion returns to “Rebel Yell” with Idol himself. His official live performance for Vevo offers the song in another setting, providing a comparison with the iHeartRadio duet. Heard alongside the collaboration, it puts the original artist’s delivery and the song’s underlying character back at the centre.