Miley Cyrus is expanding the meaning of her new single, “Used to Be Young.” On Saturday (August 26), the superstar took to TikTok to launch a new series where she’ll be exploring the past 30 years of her life, beginning when she was born in 1992 to the present day.
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“Sometimes it feels like my life started when Hannah Montana was born,” she explains in the caption of the introductory video, referencing the hit Disney Channel show that made her a household name. “But before Hannah there was Miley. My fantasy was to light up the world with laughter, music & iconic moments that last beyond my lifetime. Decades later I continue to fulfill my purpose because of the love provided by my fans.”
In the first episode, Cyrus looks back on the formative relationship with her father, country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus. The young Cyrus can be seen looking at the Billboard chart for the top 100 country songs of 1992 which shows her dad’s signature hit, “Achy Breaky Heart,” at the top of the list. Cyrus explains how she doesn’t see numbers, but rather the people behind the numbers.
“Him feeling loved by a big audience impacted him emotionally more than it ever could me,” she observes of her father’s relationship with fame. “When he feels special or important, it’s like healing a childhood wound. I’ve always been made to feel like a star.”
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She then watches an old clip of her standing by her father’s side as he sings the title track of his 2000 album, Southern Rain. “I do have a lot of great memories singing music with my dad and learning and absorbing,” she continues. “And I think I can see my wheels turning and watching his voice and the way that he’s using the instrument. I feel vocally that my dad was underappreciated.”
The “Wrecking Ball” singer concludes the episode by watching old news footage of her dad and mom Tish wherein her father predicts his daughter’s future stardom. “When I found out I was gonna have a little girl, I just felt inside my intuition that it was gonna be this little girl’s destiny to bring a lot of hope to the world,” he shares of why they named her Destiny Hope. He also speaks to his daughter’s natural performance abilities even when she was a toddler.
“I’m just grateful that was projected into the universe before I could even fathom what that meant,” Cyrus reflects on her birth name. “There’s gratitude for that being the energy that was attached to my vessel because it became a reality.”
The 30-year-old dropped “Used to Be Young” on Friday (August 25) as a single off the digital reissue of her 2023 album, Endless Summer Vacation.
Photo by Gotham/GC Images
