Miley Cyrus has shared a poignant piece of advice from her godmother, the legendary Dolly Parton, offering insight into navigating a public persona while staying true to oneself. The country music icon’s words provided Cyrus with a framework for managing her larger-than-life stage presence without compromising her authentic self away from the spotlight.
A Lasting Connection Through Music
Cyrus recounted a significant conversation with Parton, which she described as their last before Parton’s passing. “I’m just trying to keep myself together, but the time that we talked, which was the last time we would talk, it was actually me telling her about this record, because even though we are so different, that is what made us so perfect for each other,” Cyrus shared with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. She explained that Parton had always been the first person she sent a vinyl record to upon its release, a tradition she intended to continue with her latest studio album, ‘Endless Summer Vacation’.
Dolly Parton died on August 25th in Nashville at the age of 80, following a brief illness. Cyrus paid a heartfelt tribute to her godmother the day after, expressing that the profound grief was too personal to fully articulate. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour and between our hearts,” Cyrus wrote at the time. She added, “What I know is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.”
Balancing Persona and Authenticity
Speaking with Lowe, Cyrus reflected on how Parton’s guidance helped her understand her own complex relationship with performance, particularly during her formative years as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. “She’s known for the fake, the hair, the makeup, and the show of it,” Cyrus observed. “But there’s a part of her that I think is what everyone gravitates towards – how real she is and how authentic she is. There was a time in my life – we hit on it with Hannah – so much of my life was about persona. And I think a way that I could look at that as you can have a persona and still be who you are is because I’d Dolly.”
Cyrus likened her public persona to the art of drag, explaining that the way she presents herself on stage can be vastly different from her private self. “The way that I present myself is just someone that is so different from the person that feeds the tortoise every morning,” she said. “But again, that person’s inside of me. I just kind of have her off.” This ability to separate her public performance from her private reality was a skill she learned, in part, from observing Parton.
Navigating Emotional Performances
The conversation also touched upon Cyrus’s tendency to display emotion on stage, citing a particular performance of her song “End of the World” on ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman’ in 2024. The song, which delves into themes of global devastation and personal loss, led to tears during the performance. Cyrus recalled Parton’s reaction after watching the show: “I start crying and she watched me on Letterman and was like, ‘What are you crying about?’”
Lowe suggested that Parton was likely encouraging professionalism, a sentiment Cyrus agreed with. “That’s pretty much what she said,” Cyrus confirmed. “She was like, ‘Music is escapism. Let them cry. You need to get through it.’ And I was like, ‘I know, but this is who I am.’ And she loved me for it.” Parton’s advice underscored the idea that while vulnerability is part of the artistic expression, the performer must also maintain composure and continue the show.
A Legacy of Guidance and Support
Cyrus also reminisced about performing “I Will Always Love You” with Parton during NBC’s ‘Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party’ in 2022. She noted that Parton understood, even then, the deep emotional reasons behind her tears, which continue to resonate. “So many of my really stabilising peers that I have in my life [come from] generations before me,” Cyrus reflected. “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.”
She emphasized Parton’s consistent wisdom: “And she was always right. It’s like how your mom’s always right, and when you are a kid, you are like, ‘What does she know?’ And then as you get older, you’re like, ‘How? Where did this come from? You’re just a normal person. Why do you know everything?’ Dolly was just always right about stuff.”
A Lifelong Bond
Parton played a significant role throughout Cyrus’s career, appearing as Aunt Dolly in the Disney Channel series ‘Hannah Montana’. Their musical collaborations included the song “Rainbowland” and a memorable performance of “Jolene” at the 2019 Grammy Awards. They also revisited Cyrus’s 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball” for Parton’s 2023 album ‘Rockstar’, where the lyric was famously altered from “I will always want you” to “I will always love you,” a testament to their enduring connection.
Dolly Parton’s enduring wisdom and the profound impact of her advice continue to guide Miley Cyrus, offering a timeless lesson on the balance between public performance and private authenticity.
