Miley Cyrus is an artist who constantly reinvents herself. She doesn’t stay stagnant for long, choosing to evolve rather than rest in a comfortable place. However, in her latest release, “Used To Be Young,” Cyrus takes a moment to reflect on where she’s been. According to the lyrics, everything – even the low points – was all part of the journey.
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Take one, pour it out / it’s not worth cryin’ about / the things you can’t erase / like tattoos and regrets, words I never meant and ones that got away, she sings in the powerful second verse.
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“This song is about honoring who we’ve been, loving who we are, and celebrating who we will become,” Cyrus said of the song in a statement. “I feel proud when reflecting on my past
and optimistic when thinking about the future. I am grateful to my loyal fans who make my dreams a
reality daily. I am sincerely thankful for the stability of your steadfast support. This song is for you.”
Like many child stars, Cyrus has been watched with a close eye since she decided to leave the Disney vehicle in the early 2010s. Like anyone coming of age, she made mistakes and learned hard lessons. Unlike many young adults, those mistakes turned into headlines and those lessons were on the world’s stage.
In the accompanying music video for the track, Cyrus wears a Mickey Mouse shirt as a nod to her roots while tearfully singing about her “wild” youth. With the song, she is seemingly asking for mercy and allowing herself to feel the tinges of growing up.
She further explained the music video. “It’s super emotional because I am kind of a mini-me of my mom and I could see her inside of the camera by using a technology where I could livestream with my mom from inside of the camera,” she said.
“So, we could see each other and as she was dancing it just made me cry, it made me laugh, it brought up so many real emotions and I think it’s really letting people into true emotion, which I don’t feel we get to see very much these days,” she continued.
Check out the track, below.
Photo by Michael Esposito / Sony Music
