Miley Cyrus has been famous since she was 12 years old, when she landed the lead in Disney’s Hannah Montana. Since then, she’s released eight albums and established herself as a music icon. In 2024, she won her first two Grammys for her hit “Flowers.” She told interviewer Zane Lowe during a May 21 sit-down that taking home the coveted trophies gave her a newfound confidence, which she drew on while working on her latest album, Something Beautiful. “After I felt that validation that somewhere inside of me really needed to feel, I really felt free to make the album I’ve been craving my whole adult career.”
The record reflects where Miley is in her life. (It comes out May 30; a companion film will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, followed by a one-night-only theatrical release on June 12.) “When you’re listening,” she told fans on May 6, “you’re going to feel this fulfillment that I have.”
The 32-year-old star has been through a lot in the last decade, including her 2019 divorce from Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, losing her $2.5 million Malibu home in a devastating 2018 fire and ongoing and highly-publicized drama with her famous family. A source tells Us Weekly Miley — who’s found love with her 26-year-old musician boyfriend, Maxx Morando — is feeling content and more comfortable in her own skin than ever. “Miley’s in her healing era,” says one source. “She’s in a really good place after doing a lot of introspective work on herself and figuring out who she is.” Adds a second source: “She’s learned to let go and be at peace.”
Under Pressure
Miley’s been open about how her child star past negatively affected her. In 2023, she said she carried “guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” referencing her infamous 2013 twerking VMAs performance. (She was also criticized for posing in just a sheet for a 2008 Vanity Fair cover.) “I was harshly judged as a child by adults,” she said. In 2015, she revealed she’d developed body dysmorphia while working on Hannah Montana. “I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, ‘Who the f*** am I?’” The second source says she’s “scaled back” dramatically with what she shares with the public. “Miley is super protective of her image now. Everything is on her terms.”
The first source tells Us Miley had to face “a lot of deep-rooted trauma” to find peace. “It’s been a long process,” the source says. “It’s taken her years to understand certain aspects of herself and situations she’s been through. It came with age, but Miley also experimented with various forms of therapy and self-healing.”
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Last year, Miley said she lives a mostly sober lifestyle, something she started leading up to her 2020 vocal surgery. “The thing that I love about it is waking up 100 percent, 100 percent of the time,” she said. “Her lifestyle has completely shifted,” notes the second source. “She’s very low-key [and] doesn’t associate with many industry people.” Miley said in 2024 that she’s not “very active” in celebrity circles, adding, “it just doesn’t feel like my people.”
Family Ties
Miley’s country star father, Billy Ray, played a pivotal role in her entry into show business, starring as her dad on Hannah Montana. Their relationship fractured when Billy Ray, 63, and Miley’s mom, Tish, 58, split after 28 years of marriage in 2022. (They also share Brandi, 38, Trace, 36, Braison, 31, and Noah, 25.) “There was a fallout,” the first source says of Miley and Billy Ray. “A lot of it was about loyalty and choices he made post-divorce.”
The pair have made progress in recent months. Billy Ray posted a photo with Miley and Morando as they celebrated Braison’s birthday together on May 9. In an Insta post the next day, Miley denied rumors of a feud with her mom after Tish unfollowed her on Instagram. She also hinted at a reconciliation with Billy Ray, writing, “My dad and I have had our challenges over the years. Now, in my thirties, family is my priority above all else. I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and time has done a lot of healing.”
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The first source says Miley has figured out how to navigate her family’s dynamics better. “She’s closest with Brandi and their mom,” notes the source. “There are a lot of personalities involved, but Miley’s learned when it’s worth rocking the boat. She does her own thing and tries to stay out of the drama and remain neutral.” The second source says there’s still some tension between Miley and Noah. “Noah has talked about feeling like she’s in Miley’s shadow, and Miley’s tried to support her, but they just have really different vibes.”
Steady Love
Morando has been a stabilizing force in her life. They met on a blind date in 2021. (“Well, it was blind for me and not really for him,” she told British Vogue.) “Everyone close to Miley says Maxx brings out the best in her,” says the first source. “They make a lot of sense as a couple.” Her previous on-off decade-long relationship with Hemsworth was tumultuous; they split for good after eight months of marriage in 2019. In a May interview with Spotify, she shared how losing her house helped her figure out what she really wanted. “When my house burned down, a lot of my relationships also burned down. [That] led me to such magic.”
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Morando, a drummer, produced some of Something Beautiful and cowrote the title track. “I’ve always worked with the people that I love. And Maxx just inspires me so much,” Miley said of the collab. “They work very well as a team,” says the first source. “Maxx shares the same passion for music and he’s one of Miley’s biggest cheerleaders.”
It’s her time to shine on her terms, finally. “The Grammy wins were huge for Miley,” says the first source. “It validated [her] artistic choices. This album feels like a continuation of that energy. She feels like she has nothing to prove anymore.”
For more on Miley, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
