Miley Cyrus talks dad Billy Ray, fame and touring in TikTok series
Miley Cyrus is reflecting on moments from her childhood through age 30 in a new series on TikTok.
In a series, titled "Used To Be Young" after her latest single, the pop star discussed her relationship to fame in comparison to her father Billy Ray Cyrus.
"When I was born, my dad had the No. 1 country song," Cyrus said, referencing her father's breakout single "Achy Breaky Heart." "When I see the numbers, I just see the humans behind it enjoying the music, and I just see people in numbers. A number doesn’t change who I am."
Fame meant more to the 62-year-old country singer when you consider his upbringing, Cyrus said. "My dad grew up the opposite of me. I grew up on a soundstage in a house with a family that was super close and all lived under the same roof, and I grew up financially stable and emotionally stable … That’s something that my dad didn’t have," she shared.
"I think that’s where me and my dad’s relationship to fame and success is wildly different," Cyrus continued. "Him feeling loved by a big audience impacted him emotionally more than it ever could me. When he feels special or important, it’s like healing a childhood wound, and I’ve always been made to feel like a star."
Cyrus also gave credit to her dad for fostering her love for music. "I do have a lot of great memories singing music with my dad and learning and watching his voice and the way that he’s using the instrument."
She added, "I will say that I feel vocally my dad was underappreciated."
Cyrus' relationship with fame has also impacted her when it comes to touring.
The "Flowers" singer previously opened up about her decision to cease touring, because it is "not natural" and "isolating" to her.
In her TikTok series, Cyrus expanded on this, telling fans, "The show is only 90 minutes, but that’s your life. If you’re performing at a certain level of intensity and excellence, there should be an equal amount of recovery and rest."
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"There’s a level of ego that has to play a part that I feel gets overused when I’m on tour. And once that switch is on, it’s hard to turn it off," she continued.
The relationship with fans as "subject and observer isn’t healthy for me," Cyrus added. "It erases my humanity and my connection and without my humanity (and) my connection I can’t be a songwriter, which is my priority."
The pop star played five music festival dates last year and has otherwise performed publicly since her Bangerz tour, including a tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins last fall, as musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 2021, a Grammys performance with Dolly Parton in 2019 and more.
In lieu of touring, Cyrus recently released a Hulu backyard session titled "Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation: Continued."
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