When Miley Cyrus speaks, the world listens. But when she says she is done with touring—the very mechanism that sustains the modern pop machine—it demands attention.
In a recent interview with Billboard News‘ Tetris Kelly, the singer-actress, fresh from penning the original song ‘Dream as One’ for the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash film, outlined a radical, almost rebellious approach to her career: a near-total retirement from hitting the road.
Her decision to keep performances ‘low-key’ is not an arbitrary creative choice, but a necessary measure for her ‘mental health and sobriety’. Having not embarked on a proper trek since the infamous 2014 Bangerz Tour, Cyrus now views the logistics of stadium life with disdain.
She offered a stunningly frank explanation to Billboard about the disconnect between the spectacle and the reality: ‘My favourite thing to do is to perform in the lobbies of hotels, because then I just go up to my room [afterward]’.
She continued: ‘The backstage of a venue is nothing like what the audience experiences. There’s a locker room. I’m not getting ready in a locker room.’
This isn’t just about uncomfortable dressing rooms; it’s about the emotional toll of scale. ‘I have to have a heart-on-fire feeling for anything I do, and I don’t love [when] it’s such a large scale [with] so many thousands of people,’ Cyrus explained.
For an artist who thrives on raw, authentic connection, the vast chasm between the stage and the back row of a stadium erodes her creative drive. ‘You lose that one-on-one, intimate connection.’
In recent years, the star has opted instead for highly exclusive, intimate gigs—standout examples being her electric performance at the Château Marmont in Los Angeles and her small-scale Spotify Billions Club concert in Paris.
These settings, far removed from the screaming arenas, allow her to maintain the creative control and close energy she requires.
Miley Cyrus’s Search for Authenticity: Why Intimacy Replaced Stadium Tours
This pursuit of intimacy highlights a crucial distinction between Cyrus and her peers, specifically the legendary Beyoncé. Cyrus made one notable, highly public exception to her touring retirement: jumping onstage with Queen Bey at a Cowboy Carter Tour stop at the Stade de France in 2024 to perform their exquisite duet, ‘II Most Wanted’.
Cyrus joked about the rare nature of the event, stating, ‘If it ain’t gonna be in the hotel lobby, it needs to be in Paris with Bey.’ She spoke glowingly of the experience, confirming that Beyoncé is ‘everything you want her to be in person. She’s the true meaning of a professional, kind to everyone.’
Yet, the collaboration also underscored their fundamental career differences. While Cyrus has clearly lost her ‘heart-on-fire feeling’ for gruelling tours, Beyoncé’s passion remains immense.
‘What I realised was, when we talk about the heart-on-fire feeling, she has that for touring,’ the former Hannah Montana alum said. ‘Never did I see her not having joy on her face of putting the show together. It actually gives me chills.’
It is this difference in creative fuel—the joy of building a monumental spectacle versus the joy of small-scale connection—that is steering Cyrus’s career into this new, quieter chapter.
The interview lands at an immensely exciting juncture for Cyrus. Alongside the Avatar partnership, she recently became engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Maxx Morando, a personal milestone that seems to align perfectly with her desire for a more grounded professional life.
From Beyoncé to Britney: Miley Cyrus on Her Unbreakable Pop Pantheon
When discussing her collaborations, Cyrus was clear about her current zenith. When asked to name her favourite collaboration she has ever released, the choice was emphatic: ‘Honestly, I am going to say Beyoncé. Because I just feel like I could have gone home after that.’
The experience, and the calibre of the artist, clearly represented the pinnacle of her collaborative achievements.
However, when Kelly brought up her earlier ‘SMS (Bangerz)’ collaboration with Britney Spears, Cyrus paid homage to another icon who has fundamentally shaped her career and the pop landscape. ‘Listen, if we’re torn between Britney and Beyoncé, we’re doing pretty good.’
Her loyalty to Spears is unwavering, particularly regarding her biggest solo hit, the 2009 smash ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ Kelly challenged Cyrus to choose two modern musicians for a theoretical 2025 revamp of the track, but she refused to even consider altering the original script.
‘I couldn’t even imagine shouting out a different artist in the lyrics… I’m not taking Britney out.’ This refusal is a powerful nod to her deep respect for pop history and the indelible cultural mark that Spears has left.
From the dizzying heights of her early career as the star of Hannah Montana—the 20th anniversary of which is fast approaching—Miley Cyrus has moved into a rare space.
She is an artist who has achieved peak fame and success, yet has chosen to radically redefine her boundaries, prioritising mental wellbeing and authentic connection over the financial and logistical demands of the stadium circuit.
By selectively choosing her moments—like a duet with Beyoncé or an intimate hotel performance—Cyrus demonstrates that the true measure of success isn’t volume, but the quality and depth of the connection she can still forge with her audience.
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