Virtually famous: Noah Cyrus

Noah Cyrus has raced past 50 million YouTube views of the video for her debut single, without the need for the attention-seeking behaviour of her big sister Miley.

The 17-year-old is in a baggy T-shirt and bed socks, wandering around her flat looking sad while she sings Make Me (Cry). She even puts on a coat for another video of the acoustic version.

There’s no need to strip off and lick a hammer when the music is this distinctive. On the surface it’s a melodic, lovesick ballad, a duet with British singer Labrinth to file beside his hit Emeli Sandé duet from 2012, Beneath Your Beautiful.

But there are sneaky modern touches too: an angry, buzzing electronic breakdown midway through, a sudden blast that sounds like a train racing through a tunnel, and a dripping noise that substitutes for the word “cry” (hence the title's brackets).

If it’s still not weird enough for you, try her guest vocal on this week’s new single by the latest DJ to cultivate anonymity by wearing something silly on his head, Marshmello.

Chasing Colors is a riot of cartoonish synths and fidgety bass on which her voice is the only thing offering some soul. Both songs suggest it’s worth keeping an eye out for a debut album coming later this year, and generate the strange feeling of being glad that another Cyrus has entered the music business.