Miley Cyrus found herself thinking about British artist Adele while she was writing her new single, “Used To Be Young”.
The US pop star, who rose to fame in the role of Hannah Montana on the popular children’s TV programme of the same name, released her new single on Friday.
Performed as a ballad, “Used to Be Young” sees Cyrus reflect on her wilder early years as a teenage pop singer, known for her highly publicised antics both on and off stage.
“I know I used to be crazy,” the 30-year-old sings. “I know I used to be fun/ You say I used to be wild/ I say I used to be young.”
In the music video, Cyrus is shown wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, reflecting her childhood years as a Disney star.
Since the song’s release, a video of Adele has circulated on social media where she remarks during a show: “I am obsessed with Miley Cyrus’s new song.”
Cyrus shared the video to her Instagram Stories and wrote a message to Adele, which said: “I thought of you often while writing this song - always hoped that you would love it.
“This means the world to me. I love you. Mission accomplished.”
On Saturday (26 August), Cyrus revealed on Instagram that a “series”, also called Used To Be Young, was on the way, and encouraged fans to follow her on TikTok.
Cyrus, known for her hit singles including “Wrecking Ball” and “Flowers”, shared the news in an Instagram post, which said: “Sometimes it feels like my life started when Hannah Montana was born.
“But before Hannah there was Miley. My fantasy was to light up the world with laughter, music and iconic moments that last beyond my lifetime.
“Decades later I continue to fulfil my purpose because of the love provided by my fans. This series Used To Be Young is inspired by my new single. Looking back on my life and sharing untold stories from 1992 until now.
“Let’s start at the beginning.... Forever, Miley.”
Miley Cyrus in her music video for ‘Used to Be Young'— (YouTube/Columbia Records)
Cyrus recently addressed an open letter that was written to her from late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in response to Cyrus’s video for “Wrecking Ball”.
Following the video’s release, Cyrus said she had been inspired by the visuals for O’Connor’s 1990 hit “Nothing Compares 2 U”, in which the artist could be singing directly to the camera in various close-up shots.
Writing to the then-20-year-old “in the spirit of motherliness and with love”, O’Connor said it wasn’t “‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos”, and warned Cyrus not to let herself be “pimped” by the music industry.
In response, Cyrus proceeded to make fun of past tweets by O’Connor, which had been sent at a time when she was struggling with her mental health, and compared O’Connor to former Nickelodeon child star Amanda Bynes, who was also struggling with mental health issues.
“At the time when I made ‘Wrecking Ball’, I was expecting for there to be controversy and backlash, but I don’t think I expected other women to put me down or turn on me, especially women that had been in my position before,” Cyrus recalled.
“So this is when I had received an open letter from Sinéad O’Connor, and I had no idea about the fragile mental state that she was in.”
Growing emotional as she discussed her response, Cyrus continued: “I was also only 20 years old. So I could really only wrap my head around mental illness so much and all that I saw was that another woman had told me that this idea was not my idea.
“Even if I was convinced that it was, it was still just men in power’s idea of me and they had manipulated me to believe that it was my own idea when it never really was. And it was. And it is. And I still love it.”
Cyrus said that she had “been judged for so long for my own choices that I was just exhausted”, but finally felt with “Wrecking Ball” that she was making “my own choices and my own decisions”.
“To have that taken away from me deeply upset me,” she concluded, before adding: “God bless Sinéad O’Connor for real, in all seriousness.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
