Billy Ray Cyrus addresses daughter Miley dropping surname in bizarre statement

It's just 'Miley' these days, not Miley Cyrus, and Billy Ray Cyrus has spoken out about his daughter's name change for the first time.

Miley has dropped her last name and overhauled her website and branding so they all just bear her first name, and to make sure everyone knows it she's announced that her upcoming album is almost here.

BASS PERSUADES will be studio album number 10 for Miley and it releases on 18 September, with her saying: "Music takes hold of us. We feel it, sing it, sometimes dance to it, let it out and carry on. It is powerful, vulnerable, sweet and strong.

“Heart full, heartache, every part of life in between. That’s what the title means to me.

“Thank you for being a part of making my wildest dreams come true. I sincerely hope you love this album. Miley.”

Her dad Billy Ray Cyrus has since reacted to her switching to just the name Miley, taking to social media to pen a lengthy post, saying he spoke to her the day before and supported her decision.

He said: "Family means more than ever now. I always called my little girl Miley. Just … Miley. Just like I always called my little boy Braison.

"Bet you didn’t know … I was just CYRUS before Achy Breaky Heart came out in 92. All of my swag and T shirts only read. CYRUS SOME GAVE ALL with a picture of a POW MIA flag on it that and the words .. “You are not forgotten.“

"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."

Calling it a 'natural progression' for his daughter, Billy Ray said that he was eager to hear her new album and wondered whether he'd have had a more successful career if his record label had let him just call himself 'Cyrus' instead of Billy Ray.

Miley's original name isn't actually Miley, when she was born her parents named her 'Destiny Hope' but according to her mum it was Billy Ray who came up with the name Miley because the family called her 'smiley Miley'.

In 2008 she legally changed her name to Miley, though back in 2020 her dad told US Weekly 'no matter what you call her, she still is Destiny Hope'.

Back in 2013, Miley had said she was considering dropping the 'Cyrus' from her name.

She'd said: “I was thinking about dropping the Cyrus and just being Miley but there’s something powerful about the fact that my name now is like a household name.

"People have this misconception of me that I'm just one of these kids on TV and that now I go off and party and I'm just this ratchet white girl, and I'm not.”

"I’m young and living and in LA which is everyone’s dream, you know. I’m living it to the fullest. Rather than taking a blessing and making it a curse, it’s just like this is what this name is now."