Miley Cyrus covers Interview Magazine: how her rockstar alter-ego isn’t really an alter-ego

“Yeah, I really am a rock star.”

Verified ex-popstar Miley Cyrus takes on Interview Magazine with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to discuss her ascent to rockstar fame. Photographed by Brianna Capozzi against the dreamy and ethereal of her Nashville backyard, Cyrus is captured at her best. She’s bold. She’s sensual. And she’s her authentic self.

Cyrus describes the renewed comfort of being onstage and rediscovering her love for music.

The cover star and Ulrich wade through the teen popstar to late 20s rockstar pipeline. Ulrich, complimentary of Cyrus’ cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters, swaps stories of loneliness, rebirth, and pandemic highs and lows.

Her pandemic high? Recording “Nothing Else Matters” in her home studio in her growling lower register. And singing in her most authentic voice. “I don’t have a false voice,” she tells Ulrich. 

The Metallica cover, just like her “Plastic Hearts” album, crosses genre lines. Her willingness to bring in industry veterans like Elton John and Yo-Yo Ma is a feat of unity. Cyrus is sick of divisive times. “Aloneness is special, but togetherness is powerful,” she says.

Cyrus is a veteran artist in her own right. Her ability to flip her old songs on their head and transform them into something completely new is special. Ulrich agrees. The rock and roll direction doesn’t feel like a new persona. Instead, it’s a way of life for Miley Cyrus. She oozes confidence, and it’s refreshing to see her agency over her art.

We’ve lived through every Miley Cyrus era – even the controversial ones. But according to Cyrus, she’s no longer concerned about the type of singer she ought to be. She’ll just be herself, thanks.