Miley Cyrus and Metallica’s Unexpected Union Brings ‘Nothing Else Matters’ Roaring Back to Life in a Performance Fans Are Still Talking About
It was the duet no one saw coming — and the one no one can forget.
In 2021, pop rebel Miley Cyrus joined metal legends Metallica for a live performance of their iconic power ballad Nothing Else Matters on The Howard Stern Show. The result? A haunting, emotionally raw reimagining of a song that has transcended generations — and now, genres.
Cyrus, known for her raspy power vocals and fearless genre-hopping, stepped into Metallica’s dark, introspective world with surprising grace. Standing beside James Hetfield, she didn’t just sing the words — she seemed to live them.
“This song changed my life,” she revealed during the show. “It was the beginning of me getting sober… of letting go of everything except what really mattered.”
Originally released in 1991 as part of Metallica’s groundbreaking Black Album, Nothing Else Matters was always a bold move — a metal band exposing their vulnerability. But with Cyrus at the mic, backed by Hetfield, the song took on new dimensions. It was no longer just about the loneliness of fame or life on the road — it became a shared confession, a soul-bearing ballad of survival.
The full performance — which can be seen here — features Miley’s gravelly alto curling around the song’s verses, building to a powerful crescendo alongside Hetfield’s iconic baritone. Their voices blend not perfectly, but authentically — raw, real, and beautifully broken.
The performance was part of The Metallica Blacklist, a star-studded tribute album celebrating 30 years of The Black Album, with artists ranging from Elton John and Yo-Yo Ma to J Balvin and Phoebe Bridgers. But it was Cyrus’s take that sparked the most conversation.
Critics praised her ability to channel both strength and fragility. “She didn’t try to out-metal Metallica,” one reviewer noted. “She brought something different — something cracked open and painfully human.”
Some fans of the band were skeptical at first. Could the former Disney star really hold her own next to rock royalty? But the answer, according to millions of views and emotional comments online, is a resounding yes.
“She made it hers,” one longtime Metallica fan wrote. “And somehow… she made me hear it for the first time again.”
As the final notes faded, there was no doubt: this wasn’t just a performance. It was a reckoning. A moment where two worlds collided — and created something that mattered.
Watch the full performance here:
