Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus’ Godmother, had some opinions about her 2023 hit single, “Used to Be Young.”
In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Cyrus discussed “Used to Be Young,” and how vulnerable it is to listen to the song now. While she’s happy to have released the song, she noted that Parton was a little shocked when she first heard it. “She goes, ‘I don’t know if I like that new “Used to Be Young” song because it’s not fair that you’re singing about not being young when you’re young and beautiful. And here I am — I’m like 80 — and I’m like, That should have been my song!’”
Cyrus is still struck by the song’s openness today. “I actually listened to that song yesterday, and I was asking myself, ‘Did I really need to put this out?’,” Cyrus said. “It was one of those things that maybe now that I’m a bit more private, I would’ve kept private, but I’m happy to have shared it. It just feels like a song that’s so personal that it’s hard for people to relate.”
Throughout her new interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Cyrus also discussed a new visual album she’s working on titled Something Beautiful. Notably, she was inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall when crafting it with producer Shawn Everett and film director Panos Cosmatos: “My idea was making The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture,” Cyrus said.
She elaborated on her new project, calling it a “hypnotic and glamorous” concept album that attempts to “medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music.” The follow-up to Cyrus’ last album, Endless Summer Vacation, has yet to be formally announced, but Cyrus did reveal that the record has a big emphasis on contrast. “The songs, whether they’re about destruction or heartbreak or death, they’re presented in a way that is beautiful, because the nastiest times of our life do have a point of beauty,” she said.
While Miley is hard at work on a new album, Dolly is busy helming her own new projects. Since dropping her 2023 album Rockstar, Parton has appeared on Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, covered Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents” for a dedication comp, and contributed to the Glen Campbell duets album, Glen Campbell Duets – Ghost on the Canvas Sessions. Plus, she’s got a new virtual concert tour titled “Threads: My Songs in Symphony” in the works, and is in the midst of helming the new Broadway musical Hello, I’m Dolly for 2026.
Revisit our 2023 cover story with Dolly Parton.