Billy Ray Cyrus doesn’t have an achy breaky heart over his daughter Miley dropping the last name she inherited from him.
The country star shared how he really feels about the “Flowers” singer debuting her new mononym — which she did as part of the rollout for her recently announced album, Bass Persuades — in a Wednesday (Sept. 2) post on Instagram. Captioning a throwback photo of himself with a young Miley, he began, “Family means more than ever now. I always called my little girl Miley. Just … Miley.”
“Bet you didn’t know … I was just CYRUS before Achy Breaky Heart came out in 92,” he continued, referencing his own breakout No. 4 Billboard Hot 100 hit. “All of my swag and T shirts only read. CYRUS … I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name. I mentioned Dolly and Cher. Thinkin about it more and more … Elvis .. Prince …and so on. It’s a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend.”
“And the legend continues !” Billy Ray added. ” Looking forward to the new album.”
Miley announced Bass Persuades on Tuesday (Sept. 1), also revealing that she plans to celebrate the album with a pair of Hollywood Bowl shows in October. The day prior, she’d shared a photo with the caption “MILEY,” leading fans to notice that she’d changed her usernames to display her first name only.
The album rollout overlapped with the death of Dolly Parton, a close friend of Billy Ray’s, and Miley’s godmother. Both Cyrus generations have shared statements mourning the Queen of Country, with Miley writing on Instagram: “The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.”
“Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton,” Billy Ray wrote in his post. “She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms … Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will.”
Bass Persuades arrives Sept. 18.
