Miley is a normal teenage girl who, as her alter ego Hannah Montana, secretly leads a double life as a world-famous pop star.

However, Cyrus' persistence and ability to sing in addition to act caused the show's producers to invite her back for further auditions.

[2] According to Disney Channel president Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life,"[3] with the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain.

[2] Miley was born on November 23, 1992 (Cyrus' real birth date), in the fictional town of Crowley Corners in Buford County, Tennessee.

[5] By the time she was 12 years old, Miley had become a famous pop star under the stage name "Hannah Montana."

Before revealing her secret in I'll Always Remember You, it is mentioned by Jackson, Sienna and Rico that the only people to know about her secret beside her family are Lilly and Oliver, her former bodyguard Roxy, her ex-boyfriend Jake, her current boyfriend Jesse, Sienna and all of Crowley Corners, Tennessee.

However, in the episode "Hannah Montana to the Principal's Office" it is shown that the President of the United States knows her secret.

Despite her father offering her the option of homeschooling, Miley decided to attend public school in order to be a "normal kid," a decision she sometimes finds herself regretting.

[7] Due to her double life, she is often in awkward positions and is forced to lie in order to keep her secret.

[13] In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Miley plays a custom built Gibson acoustic guitar.

Hannah's many fans are not aware that she is really just a normal teenage girl, and Miley tries to keep her two lives separate from each other.

In the show, three other people (Robby, Lilly, and Oliver) also wear disguises when around Hannah to prevent anyone from drawing a connection to Miley (Jackson is himself, only as a childhood friend).

Hannah also typically swaps limos as she leaves concert venues to keep the paparazzi from following her home.

These include her family members, Robby, Jackson, Mammaw Ruthie, Aunt Dolly, Uncle Earl and Aunt Pearl, her cousin Luann, her friends Lilly Truscott and her parents, Oliver Oken and his mother, Jake Ryan, Farmine and Roxy, as well as Officer Diaria and his daughter Kelsey, Siena and the President of the United States.

And in "Ready, Set, Don't Drive," Hannah obtains a drivers license after Miley fails the test.

In the Hannah Montana story, the famous blonde wig was picked out for Miley by Roxy.

[19] Miley Stewart also mentions that she intentionally patterned Hannah's look after her godmother Aunt Dolly Parton, though it was never officially stated if Parton was the true inspiration behind the character's wardrobe, Hannah's look does draw heavy influence from the real-life Queen of Country as she is the real-life godmother of Cyrus.

[25] Hannah also has collaborated with several real-life celebrities, nl: The Jonas Brothers, Sheryl Crow, David Archuleta, Iyaz and Billy Ray Cyrus.

[28] Hannah Montana as a character has found fame beyond the television show, primarily as a recording artist and music performer.

[29] From September to October 2006, Miley Cyrus performed several songs from Hannah Montana during The Party's Just Begun Tour as an opening act for The Cheetah Girls.

Then, from October 2007 to January 2008, Cyrus performed in a successful concert tour as Hannah Montana.

The character appeared in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody episode "That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana" along with Raven Baxter, and The Suite Life on Deck episode "Wizards on Deck With Hannah Montana" which also includes characters from Wizards of Waverly Place (although the characters from Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana never interact).