Miley Cyrus has engaged in significant self-reflection during this year. In the past few months, she has established new boundaries for her personal life, revised her perspective on the criticism she received in her early twenties, and prioritized her own comfort over returning to a demanding touring schedule. On her TikTok series “Used to Be Young,” the singer revealed the day she decided to end her 10-year relationship with Liam Hemsworth as a turning point that has since shaped her need to place herself first.
Cyrus begins, “I have to slow down because this is very serious.” “Glastonbury was in June [2019], which was when the decision was made that me and Liam’s commitment to being married came from a place of trauma and trying to rebuild as quickly as we could.” The couple got married in December 2018 and divorced in December 2019.
“The day of the show was the day I decided that being in that relationship would no longer work in my life,” Cyrus explains. Thus, this was another instance in which the work, performance, and character came first. I suppose that’s why it’s so vital to me that this no longer be the case, and that the human comes first.”
Cyrus introduced her Glastonbury performance with “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” a collaboration with Mark Ronson which was released earlier that year. Additionally, they performed an abbreviated rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.” Her set also included performances of her Black Mirror alter persona Ashley O’s single “On a Roll.” The music may have provided some release, but it was not the healing she required. Her determination to complete the performance ultimately prevailed. At the time, she had become accustomed to doing so.
“Every piece of trauma in my life — when my close-knit grandfather died while I was on set, I completed the scene and dealt with it later. During Black Mirror, when the house [she shared with Hemsworth] was engulfed in flames, I completed my duties and dealt with the situation later. Cyrus elaborated in the following installment of the TikTok series, “When that occurred at Glastonbury, I completed my set and dealt with it later.” Because of the pandemic, I no longer possess that. Literally, I’ve always been able to work through anything. Now, the only thing I know to do in a traumatic situation, such as the world shutting down due to a global pandemic, is to construct a show that will allow me to continue performing for my fans.”