As our summer break is kicking in, there are a ton of new summer songs coming on the radio. Some good, some bad, but there’s one that I’m obsessed with: “Malibu” by Miley Cyrus.

In the spirit of honesty, I am in love with Miley Cyrus. I have been since Hannah Montana ended, because I just never really got onto that bandwagon. But, ever since this lady started her solo career, I’ve been hooked. I was obsessed with her relationship with Liam Hemsworth and was distraught when they broke up. And, when Miley came out with her album "Bangerz," I was going through a break-up of my own. I don’t particularly know why, but the night my then-boyfriend and I broke up, I listened to the "Bangerz" album about three times on repeat with my best friend. I continued to listen to the album thinking I would at some point get sick of it, but, alas, I never did. And, as an added bonus, I can sing pretty much the entire album to this day. I am convinced to this day that Miley Cyrus and I are soulmates because, while I was going through my post-break-up phase, she was going through a phase herself.

The "Bangerz" tour of 2014 was extremely controversial, for those of you who need to jog your memories. The tour emphasized sexual imagery and drug use and was often characterized as raunchy or offensive. The concert began with a close-up of Miley’s face on a video screen, and Miley would enter the concert from a slide where her tongue would be. This all sounded crazy and over the top, so naturally my friend and I decided we wanted to go. Our seats originally weren’t that nice, but due to a technical error we were able (somehow) to get our seats moved up to the front row. This made all of the weird, imaginative, and overly-sexual parts of the concert seem even more over the top, but it also gave me even more of an appreciation for just how hard that woman was working. With all of the crazy choreography, she still had an incredible voice and never skipped a beat. In the middle of the craziness of the concert, she stopped to sing two acoustic covers that almost seemed to be making a point to all of the people who said she wasn’t really that talented.

So, this last week I was fortunate enough to go to Los Angeles with my friends and listen to “Malibu” about 20 times on repeat without my friends getting on their nerves - because it’s a great song. It’s not only the song itself, but the message that goes with it and how it demonstrates how much Miley Cyrus has changed. For everyone who still wants to write her off as another crazy artist, I think you should give this a listen, and think about how commendable it is that she can admit how much she’s changed. It’s a bad thing to stay stagnant throughout your life, because that means you’re not really learning anything. Everyone goes through a phase of their life when they’re rebellious and rambunctious and Bangerz was that for Miley Cyrus. And yes, it was far more public and absurd than (hopefully) any of our rebellious phases, but at least we can now see her as a flawed artist who overcame some of her own life obstacles opposed to one of those celebrities who tries to hide all of the skeletons in their closet.

It’s important to remember where we come from and what we’ve been through, and what those experiences can lead us to. “Malibu” is the perfect marriage of that. This soft and personal ballad proves that Miley has moved past her old emphasis on shock-value. Miley Cyrus isn’t the most relatable lady in that she was able to ride above a crowd of thousands while straddling a hot dog, but maybe we can see ourselves in this cycle of going through rough patches, learning more about who we are, and coming out on the other side better for it.