Miley Cyrus Looks Back on Her Scrutinized Early Years on ‘Used to Be Young’

Miley Cyrus is reflecting on her life in the spotlight. On Friday, the singer released her track “Used to Be Young,” her first follow-up since dropping her LP Endless Summer Vacation in March.

Much of the scrutiny she faced inspired the candid song released on Friday. “I know I used to be crazy/I know I used to be fun/You say I used to be wild/I say I used to be young,” Cyrus sings in the chorus. “You tell me time has done changed me That’s fine, I’ve had a good run”

In a statement following the track’s release, Cyrus explained, “This song is about honoring who we’ve been, loving who we are and celebrating who we will become. I feel proud when reflecting on my past and optimistic when thinking about the future.” She added, “I am grateful to my loyal fans who make my dreams a reality daily. I am sincerely thankful for the stability of your steadfast support. This song is for you.”

When reflecting on the video, featuring the singer standing alone in the dark, Cyrus said, “It’s super emotional because I am kind of a mini-me of my mom and I could see her inside of the camera by using a technology where I could livestream with my mom from inside of the camera. So, we could see each other and as she was dancing it just made me cry, it made me laugh, it brought up so many real emotions and I think it’s really letting people into true emotion, which I don’t feel we get to see very much these days.”

Over the last few days, Cyrus has released excerpts about her speaking about the song’s significance to her journey. Specifically, the release date, Aug. 25, she said, has “historically been important to me personally and to my career.” In an excerpt posted to YouTube earlier this week, she reflected on the final episode of Hannah Montana.

“Hannah is for kids,” she said in the clip. “Miley is for grown-ass men in heels.”

The lyrics capture Cyrus reflecting on the perceptions that she faced as a teenager in the spotlight. In a June profile, she spoke to British Vogue about the harsh judgment that she faced while starring on Hannah Montana and throughout her early career.

“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she said. “Now that I’m an adult, I realize how harshly I was judged… I was harshly judged as a child by adults, and now, as an adult, I realize that I would never harshly judge a child.”

Many of the controversies that arose in her career were during her Bangerz album era, which included her polarizing nude video for “Wrecking Ball” and her Robin Thicke twerk session at the 2013 VMAs. (She also posed in a photo taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz for the cover of Vanity Fair in 2008. At the time, Cyrus was unfairly criticized by the public.)

“I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played,” she said of that time. “Anyone, when you’re 20 or 21, you have more to prove. ‘I’m not my parents.’ ‘I am who I am.’”

The new track arrives five months after she released Endless Summer Vacation. The LP was led by “Flowers,” and featured songs such as “River” and “Thousand Miles” with Brandi Carlile.

From Rolling Stone US.