While introducing Miley Cyrus as she received her Disney Legend status on August 12, Chappell Roan shared her love for Cyrus and her Disney Channel character, Hannah Montana. Remotely dialing into the ceremony, Chappell—who has been gaining monumental traction in the music industry lately—revealed that Cyrus’ Best of Both Worlds Tour was her first concert and that she always wanted to be like Hannah Montana.
“The things that I admire about Miley Cyrus is that she constantly reinvents herself and always works,” said Chappell Roan. “For a lot of artists, it can seem inauthentic or out of the blue, but she’s very open about her transformations artistically and personally. She puts out music that is so authentic.”
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Chappell shared her first concert experience—the Best of Both Worlds Tour which featured the Jonas Brothers as an opener. “She came down in a box from the ceiling. I was like, ‘How do I do that one day?’ I still think about it,” she admitted. “I still think about the show. I want to be like Hannah Montana.”
Chappell Roan Admits There’s “A Lot of Crossover” Between Miley Cyrus and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Chappell Roan continued, revealing that Miley Cyrus was and still is a huge influence. “There’s a lot of crossover between Miley and my project, and it’s just like, I’m such a fan too,” she said. “I love her fanbase. She’s got the whole world that supports her. She could do whatever she wants, which is something I want to do.”
For Chappell, and a lot of fans, “Miley does anything and it works,” she said, adding, “Miley feels like freedom to me.”
Truly, Miley Cyrus has been expressing that freedom since she put out Bangerz in 2013. That album was an expression of her freedom from Disney, and Endless Summer Vacation from 2023 is an expression of her freedom from a stifling relationship. Cyrus has reinvented herself many times over those 10 years, but she has always made those shifts feel authentic, as Chappell previously expressed.
Miley Cyrus has become the youngest-ever Disney Legend, and shared her gratitude for fans, Disney, and for Hannah Montana herself. She dedicated the award to her character, tearing up as she spoke about how “a little bit of everything has changed,” but added that, at the same time, “nothing has changed at all.”
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