Miley Cyrus sits down with Zane Lowe for Apple Music ahead of her tenth studio album, Bass Persuades, dropping Friday, September 18. She opens up about her growth, her sobriety, and the legends who laid the pavement for her career, most notably her godmother, Dolly Parton.
While talking about her journey, Cyrus shares the profound impact Parton had on her life and artistic process. She recalls how the country icon always offered clear wisdom whenever Cyrus needed guidance.
“So many of my really stabilizing peers that I have in my life, you know, they’re generations before me,” Cyrus tells Lowe. “And they’ve laid down brick by brick the road that I travel now. And they aren’t always going to be here for me to call them and say, what do I do now? Which I always did with Dolly. And she was always right. It’s like how your mom’s like always right.”
Cyrus chuckles while reflecting on how young artists often dismiss parental wisdom before eventually realizing its truth. “When you’re a kid, you’re like, what does she know? And then as you get older, you’re like, everything. How? Where did this come from? You’re just a normal person. Why do you know everything?”
Finding Escapism On Stage
Parton’s advice extended directly into how Cyrus navigates the stage. During a performance on Letterman, Cyrus found herself crying while singing “End of the World,” a moment that prompted a swift phone call from her godmother. Parton reminded her that fans come to shows to escape their daily lives, urging her to push through the heavy emotions during a live set.
“Music is escapism,” Cyrus recalls Parton telling her. “Let them cry. You need to get through it.”
That tough-love moment helped Cyrus understand the balance between vulnerability and performance. Even when she cried singing “I Will Always Love You” alongside Parton, Cyrus knew her godmother accepted her sensitive nature while still pushing her to command the stage like a professional.
Keeping Up The Drag
That boundary between performer and person remains central to Cyrus’s approach to fame. She views her public image as a form of theatrical drag, keeping her real identity grounded at home with her fiancé Maxx Morando and her beloved animals in Los Angeles.
“Sometimes I call what I do drag because the way that I present myself is just someone that is so different from the person that feeds the tortoise every morning,” Cyrus says. “I have a routine and it only makes me a better person because I’m getting that time to connect with something that has no idea who I am.”
Her daily life includes feeding her 20-year-old tortoise Teru, hand-feeding a disabled rescue bird, and taking care of her pets before heading to high-energy video shoots. During the freezing 3:00 a.m. shoot for the “Bass Persuades” video, Cyrus was in silk underwear on set while frantically tracking her tortoise’s heat lamp on her phone.
Honoring The Legacy
From navigating her early Hannah Montana years to prepping her upcoming shows at the Hollywood Bowl this October, Cyrus keeps Parton’s lessons top of mind. Parton even personally drove her around Nashville to convince her to perform at the Grammys when Cyrus felt burnt out.
“She’s like, ‘Get your hair teased and get a dress that you love and like you’re gonna forget for that moment,'” Cyrus remembers.
By leaning on those early lessons, Cyrus continues to build a sustainable pop career on her own terms, keeping her legendary godmother’s wisdom close at heart.
