“She’s always said this to me: ‘You do you, and I’ll do me, and together we’ll be us,’” said Cyrus in a new interview.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Miley Cyrus’ amazing performance of “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammy Awards may not have happened without a little push from Dolly Parton.
The pop star, now 31, shared about her close bond with the 78-year-old country legend during a new episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. She recounted a recent “tough conversation” they had.
“I don’t remember our first meeting, I was so young. My dad and her worked together in the ‘90s. They made music together and I think my dad even toured with her,” Cyrus told host David Letterman, 77, speaking about the “Jolene” singer.
Kevin Winter/Getty
Parton is Cyrus’ godmother—a role she even played on Hannah Montana. The “Party in the U.S.A.” singer felt that the character of Hannah Montana closely mirrored her own life.
Back then, Cyrus couldn’t distinguish between herself and Hannah Montana. “Parts of me are that character, including a bit of my relationship with Dolly,” she explained.
“Hannah Montana is famous for wearing a blonde wig and having this other persona. She can turn it off and go back to being a regular girl during the day, and live a superstar life at night,” she continued. “I realize that’s something Dolly has done her entire life.”
“Now, she’s always in the wig and she’s always in the Dolly,” added Cyrus. “It’s not about the external performance of creating a character.”
When asked to reveal a surprising fact about Parton, Cyrus said the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member “often eats Dollywood food. If she asks me what I want for lunch, it’s from the theme park.”
For a more telling story that wouldn’t affect their “sacred” relationship, Cyrus shared that Parton “isn’t afraid to have tough conversations.”
“I had a tough talk with her: I told her, ‘I’m not sure if I’ll do the Grammys.’ She said, ‘Of course you are! You’re not just going to show up; you’re going to show off. You’ll be everything that you are right here in front of me,’” reflected Cyrus about her Grammy Awards performance where she won her first two Grammys.
“And she said, ‘Don’t forget about the beauty—the hair, the makeup, the whole show. It’s armor for us,’” Cyrus added. “She’s always told me: ‘You do you, and I’ll do me, and together we’ll be us.’ She wasn’t telling me to be Dolly. She wasn’t telling me to hide behind sparkles and hair. She was telling me to be me.”
