Miley Cyrus made headlines last week after she said she no longer wanted to star in an interview for the cover of British vogue. “Singing for hundreds of thousands of people isn’t really what I like,” Cyrus said. “There is no connection. There is no security. She described playing big shows as “unnatural”: “It’s so isolating because if you’re in front of 100,000 people, you’re on your own.”
Cyrus’ live performances over the past few years have mostly come from festival appearances or pre-recorded events. “After the last show (headline arena) I did, I looked at it more as a question. And I can’t,’ she said vogue. “Not only can I not, because I can’t, it’s not your ability, but it’s my desire. Do I want to live my life for the pleasure or fulfillment of someone other than my own? And you know what…”
Some fans have been angered by the suggestion that Cyrus no longer cares about playing for them, and she recently shared an Instagram statement expanding on her message. “Just to be clear, I feel connected to my fans NOW more than ever. When I win, WE win. Even if I don’t see them face to face every night at a concert, my fans are deeply rooted in my heart,” she wrote. “I’m constantly creating and innovating new ways to stay in touch with the audience I love – without sacrificing my own essentials.”
She continued:
Playing for YOU was one of the best days of my life and we will continue this journey together as we have for the past two decades. It has nothing to do with a lack of appreciation for the fans and everything to do with the fact that I just don’t want to get ready in a locker room. This is the reality of life on the road.
These looks I’ve shot don’t travel well. Archival looks don’t bend. I don’t want to sleep on a moving bus. It’s not the best for me right now, and if you’ve followed my career you know I’m always changing and how I feel about it might too. I love you forever, I’m just on my endless summer vacation.
Miley Cyrus’ latest album Endless summer vacation was her most commercially successful album in years, and as a result “Flowers” spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.