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Miley Cyrus's Cardi B Cover Turns "Bodak Yellow" into a Soaring Ballad

It's safe to say the pop star performed "Bodak Yellow" like you've never heard it before. 

By Christopher Rudolph

There's no question Miley Cyrus has the range, whether she's delivering Grammy-winning hits or reinventing classic Christmas carols. Cyrus is also well known for her genre-spanning cover songs, which made her the perfect candidate for a "Musical Genre Challenge" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

In the segment from her "Miley Week" takeover on the show back in 2017, Jimmy Fallon and the former The Voice Coach rose to the challenge of performing a classic song in the style of a completely different genre.

RELATED: Miley Cyrus' "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" Cover Blew the SNL Audience's Mind

Fallon was first up, and he got the middle school dance staple, "Cotton Eye Joe." The "random genre generator" button assigned him the soft rock genre, so Fallon asked The Roots to back him up with a yacht rock "Michael McDonald-type of vibe."

Next, Fallon tackled "Santeria" by Sublime as a Latin crooner. He got so into it, it brought him to his feet as he gave his best Julio Iglesias. 

The Tonight Show Host's emotional covers were...sublime. Then it was Cyrus's turn, as she was tasked with a pop version of Cardi B's breakout hit, "Bodak Yellow."

RELATED: Miley Cyrus Belting While Also Doing Wall Squats Is Incredibly Impressive

Starting off with the song's chorus, "I don't dance now, I make money moves," it was clear from the beginning that this wouldn't be your usual cover.

As Cyrus stood to sing the track, her soaring vocals turned the rap hit into an emotional pop ballad that would make Diane Warren proud. 

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Episode 753 Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus transforms "Bodak Yellow" into a pop power ballad

Musical Genre Challenge with Miley Cyrus

Sensing defeat, Fallon tried to disrupt Cyrus's cover by continuing his cover of "Santeria." It doesn't work as Cyrus tries to block him, asking for "a little lighting" on her, leaving Fallon in the literal dark behind her. Fallon even came out from his desk and got down on one knee, trying to steal the spotlight from Cyrus, but it doesn't work eitther — Fallon is no match for Cyrus's epic pipes.

By the end of their week together, Cyrus revealed she had her fans petition to extend "Miley Week" into "Miley Month."

"I want to stay a little bit more. I would love nothing more," she told Fallon. "There's no one cooler than you. There's no one cooler than Jimmy. There's no one nicer... There is no one funnier," she told him.

RELATED: Kelly Clarkson Covered a Miley Cyrus/Stevie Nicks Mashup and It's So Rock 'n' Roll

This wouldn't be the last time the two would perform covers together. In January 2024, the duo donned some disguises, and delighted commuters to a surprise subway concert, singing "Jolene," originally written and performed by Cyrus's godmother, Dolly Parton

Even if we can't get "Miley Month" on The Tonight Show, we can hope for a regular "Miley-oke" covers segment.