Trips down memory lane can be comforting and nostalgic for many of us, not least for megastar Miley Cyrus. Having been in the spotlight since she was super young, she’s wracked up some pretty amazing childhood memories – and she’s unearthed a pretty great one, a video of her performing on stage with Beyoncé and Rihanna.
As part of a series of TikToks where she reflects back on her life following the release of her latest single Used To Be Young, Miley describes how it felt to sing alongside pop royalty at the age of fifteen for the 2008 Stand Up To Cancer event.
The trio performed a song named Just Stand Up! as part of an all-star female charity supergroup that included the biggest names of the Noughties, including Ashanti, Mariah Carey, Nicole Scherzinger, Mary J Blige, Fergie, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Keyshia Cole, Natasha Bedingfield and Ciara.
‘Here's me sandwiched between Beyoncé and Rihanna,’ Miley says while watching a clip of the performance. ‘What I remember most from doing this performance is I was standing in between two of the biggest legends and icons that I was looking up to at the time, and they treated me like a little sister the entire time. They're really sweet.’
It's a rather touching scene to watch – Miley herself seems in awe of her own memories: ‘I got brackets on the back of my teeth and I'm singing with Beyoncé.’ What a world.
Miley’s reflections on when she ‘Used To Be Young’ have also included a deep dive into her relationship with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. She has talked extensively about how her and her dad experience and view fame differently. ‘When I was born, my dad had the number country song,’ she explained.
‘When I see the numbers, I just see the humans behind it enjoying the music, and I just see people in numbers. My dad grew up the opposite of me, so I think that's where me and my dad's relationship to fame and success is wildly different.’
Her dad’s hit Achy Breaky Heart topped the charts in 1992, the same year she was born. Miley was born into fame, whereas Billy Ray found it later in life. This has impacted them both every differently, and this means a lot to the singer.
She added some further reflections on this subject: ‘Him feeling loved by a big audience impacted him emotionally more than it ever could me. When he feels special or important, it's like healing a childhood wound. And I've always been made to feel like a star. It makes me emotional. So, I think that's the difference.’
We’re loving all the throwbacks and dives into Miley Cyrus’s early years. Keep them coming.