Miley Cyrus has racked up over a billion Spotify streams on six of her songs — and over the years, some of the people who were listening ended up becoming big stars in their own rights, guided by the Hannah Montana alum’s influence.
And in a clip from her Billions Club: The Series episode shared exclusively with Billboard Thursday (Nov. 21), Cyrus opened up about what it means to have inspired the likes of Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo — all of whom have professed their love of the 31-year-old superstar. “You never think about in the future, someone replicating what you do,” she tells sister Brandi in the video. “You’re just doing it because it’s honest in the moment.”
“Now to see that impacting culture — it’s something I didn’t know I wanted, but I guess I do,” Miley continues. “I have my own artists who have created who I am.”
Shouting out Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner as her own idols, the two-time Grammy winner went on to say, “Even though they look up to me the way I look up to these other women, it’s really important they do it their own way, because that’s what my career has represented above all else.”
“The freedom I’ve kind of given these other artists to be themselves, [to] do it proud and loud — it’s just amazing to watch that be so impactful and influential,” she added.
The clip comes one day ahead of the premiere of Miley’s Spotify Billions Club episode, which arrives as her 2013 Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “Wrecking Ball” becomes her sixth song to surpass a billion streams on the platform. Her previous entries include 2009’s “Party in the U.S.A.” — her first track to hit the milestone — and 2023’s eight-week No. 1 hit “Flowers,” which was her fastest song to break into 10-digit territory.
Spotify’s recognition of Miley comes as she’s hammering away at her next album, which will follow 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed that the LP is heavily inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall, but with “a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture.”
The “Pink Pony Club” artist also came up in that interview, with Miley saying that she wishes “people would not give [Roan] a hard time” in response to some of the criticism surrounding the 26-year-old breakout star. “It’s probably really hard coming into this business with phones and Instagram,” Miley added. “That wasn’t always a part of my life, and I’m not a part of it now. I don’t even have my Instagram password.”
Watch Miley reflect on being a role model for younger stars above.
