Billy Ray Cyrus is weighing in on his daughter Miley Cyrus' decision to drop her last name for the promotion of her upcoming album.
On September 18, Miley, 33, will be releasing her milestone 10th studio album, titled Bass Persuades. However, in the lead-up to its release, she officially dropped her last name "Cyrus" from her domain name online, plus her social media.
© InstagramWhile some online saw the move as a way to distance herself from her famous family, particularly given her once-strained relationship with her dad Billy Ray, he confirmed that was definitely not the case.
"Family means more than ever now," the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer, 65, penned on Instagram with a throwback photo of himself with young Miley and her brother Braison Cyrus. "I always called my little girl Miley. Just… Miley. Just like I always called my little boy Braison."
He then continued: "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.'"
Billy Ray confirmed that he was fully behind his daughter's decision to go mononymous, adding: "I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name," even invoking her late godmother, Dolly Parton. "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! Looking forward to the new album."
© Getty ImagesBilly Ray concluded with: "Now … if only Mercury/Polygram would have just not insisted on the 'Billy Ray' part and just let me be CYRUS…… I could have done something!!! Ha ha!!! All good."
While Miley originally teased the announcement earlier in August, she seemingly delayed the news briefly following the passing of her godmother Dolly.
© Getty ImagesA week later, she revealed that a new era was finally coming, and after dropping her last name, she announced that her 10th studio album will be dropping in just a few weeks, with its title track arriving as the lead single on September 3. She then announced a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl in October.
"My tenth studio album, BASS PERSUADES, is yours September 18th," she penned on social media. "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."
© Getty Images"Heart full, heartache, every part of life in between. That's what the title means to me," she continued. "Thank you for being a part of making my wildest dreams come true. I sincerely hope you love this album," signing off as simply "Miley."
