One may say there is something to be said about the craft of truly honest and raw, personal songwriting. From her 2022 single, Mr. Percocet, that speaks on the emotional strain that arises in a relationship when substance abuse is involved, “I come second to every Percocet that you take,” to her deeply personal duet with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, “When I turned 20, I was overcome with the thought that I might not turn 21,” Noah Cyrus took to the stage at the Boulder Theater on the hot, late summer Thursday evening of Sept. 7, to sing her truth about the years that have shaped her.

The singer, a 23 year old songstress hailing from the heart of country music, better known as Nashville, Tennessee, and part of a familial line of musical greatness, did not come to play around for a live performance of her sophomore album, “The Hardest Part,” which hit streaming platforms Sept. 16, 2022.

When one thinks of the Cyrus surname, the back-to-back country hits of Billy Ray Cyrus, or the wildly popular and sometimes infamous pop, rock and country hits of Miley Cyrus may come to mind. For Noah, the kid sister of Miley and the youngest of Billy Ray’s six children, being an up-and-coming Cyrus musician meant a personal journey of s forging her own name, separate from the famous Cyrus musical reputation.

While her debut album, “THE END OF EVERYTHING,” saw a May 15, 2020 release date, Noah Cyrus had already put her hat into the music making arena with her breakout hit single “Make Me (Cry),” released in November 2016 with producer and musician, Labrinth. The record went on to achieve RIAA Platinum twice in the U.S. with over 2,000,000 certified units/sales.

Following the success of her debut single, Cyrus would then top charts in 2017 with “Again,” a half-time paced ballad-esque pop record with now deceased and controversial rapper, XXXTentacion; the record went RIAA Platinum in the U.S., reaching over 1,000,000 certified units/sales.

The inevitable phenomenon of coming from a popular familial musical background took fans by storm, as many were excited to see her musical prowess, and one might say it didn’t hurt that Noah Cyrus entered a short-term relationship with emerging rapper Lil Xan. A photo of the couple at the MTV Music Video Awards red carpet in 2018 went viral – the duo would go on to collaborate in the same year on the single “Live or Die,” which currently sits at over 58 million streams on Spotify.

It is important to note that the narrative driven by many that women musicians are often nothing without a man behind them is extremely harmful. Pop star Lady Gaga outlined this in her 2020 track “Free Woman,” from her album“Chromatica.”

One month after releasing “Live or Die,” Cyrus released “Good Cry,” an incredibly soulful extended play (EP). It wasn’t until Nov. 25, 2019 that the singer released “July,” a duet that featured American soul singer Leon Bridges. The lead single cemented Cyrus as a force to be reckoned with, as its simplistic acoustic and vocal nature spoke volumes to the heart and soul of the singer.

“July,” went on to achieve RIAA Platinum four times and set the stage for Cyrus to release her second EP, titled, “THE END OF EVERYTHING.” The 8 track EP released in May 2020 was met with critical acclaim and praise. RiotMag stated in their review of the record that, “Wearing your heart on your sleeve is never easy, but it’s what Noah Cyrus does best.”

Cyrus has a knack for telling it like it is – a feat that many musicians cannot seem to achieve in their careers. In her sophomore album “The Hardest Part,” the purest, raw form of songwriting was illustrated by the songwriter, and most importantly, the vocal capacity both in the studio and on stage was seen by adoring and smiling fans outside of the Boulder Theater last Thursday.

Jadea Kelly, a concertgoer who was waiting outside the theater with her boyfriend, spoke of how Noah Cyrus’ earnest, genuine music helped her through the loss of her grandmother.

“‘Loretta’s Song’ really spoke to me in the past year and a half because I lost my grandma as well,” referencing the fact Cyrus lost her grandmother in August 2020, “Every time I listen to it I get choked up, so it’s a really good song and it hits home because it’s one of those things where if you listened to the song before, it’s her describing how her grandma wants her to be happy and not to cry about her – to know that she’s going to a good place,” Kelly stated.

Noah Cyrus opened her set in Boulder with “Noah (Stand Still),” a song that could possibly not be considered a ballad because it sounds like it was carefully pulled out of Cyrus’ personal journal. On stage behind her was a quaint ensemble, consisting of a guitarist, drummer, lap steel guitarist, keyboardist and bassist.

The songstress brought us to the wooded forests of her inner monologue, with the lap steel guitarist and classic country undertones of the album shining through the metaphorical trees like a campfire being fanned by the laughter and chatter of family and friends.

To the trees she sang, the crowd staring up at her in complete awe and admiration. While the album is considered country/rock by Metacritic, who scored the album a stellar 88 out of 100, one might say that Noah Cyrus truly sought to be nothing other than unabashedly herself for this album.

Cyrus is truly out to tell her truth as she sees fit, an incredibly admirable aspect of the already wildly talented singer.