Miley Cyrus just gave one of her most open and honest interviews in years. Sitting down with The New York Times for The Interview series, the Grammy winner pulled back the curtain on her artistry, growth, and what’s next. And true to form, she did it with clarity, confidence, and full control.

“There’s normal people that make normal music for normal people. Then there’s weird people that make weird music for weird people. I do both,” she said.

“Flowers is normal music, you can just enjoy it. Something Beautiful or Prelude makes you question a little bit more. I don’t love the middle.”

She spoke in support of longtime friend Ariana Grande’s call for better mental health care for child stars: “There should be, you know, therapy for child actors… which I totally agree. There should be a weekly check-in, there should be a better system of community.”

But for all the brilliant insight Miley brought to the table, the interviewer made one major misstep: bringing up her past relationship.

Interviewer: “Obviously, this was the period after your divorce?”
Miley: “Weirdly, I’m not talking about him. No.“

It was a moment that stopped the conversation, not because Miley was evasive, but because she was right to shut it down.

This is exactly why so many artists, especially women, hesitate to do press. Miley rarely does interviews. When she does, she deserves to be asked about her work: her historic Grammy win earlier this year, her domination of the charts, the continued cultural impact of her voice, her legacy as a former Disney child star who reclaimed her narrative, and the countless creative pivots that have kept her at the center of pop culture for nearly two decades.

She’s not just “Miley, Miley, Miley” anymore. She’s an icon with range, resilience, and receipts; and she doesn’t need to justify her past to anyone.

This interview gave us some of Miley’s most thoughtful and unfiltered reflections yet, but the unnecessary personal question proved why boundaries in journalism still matter. Let’s celebrate the present, not dig up the past. Miley Cyrus is in her rebirth era, and she’s never been more in control.

The new album, “Something Beautiful,” from Miley Cyrus is out now. Stream and buy the record here!