Miley Cyrus clapped back at critics during her second Hollywood Bowl show Sunday.
The singer, 33, returned to the Los Angeles venue for the second of three sold-out nights and directly addressed online backlash that had erupted after her Friday opener. Social media clips had accused her of lacking engagement during that performance, noting moments when she let the crowd sing portions of songs rather than delivering every line herself.
Cyrus called out what she labeled “clickbait” commentary during Sunday’s set, telling the audience that “somebody was doing commentary to get clickbait on their video talking” about her show. She defended her commitment, stating she’s “never heard that [she doesn’t] put her heart into something.”
“I’m a lot of things, and we’re not even going to entertain that, because you all have been with me long enough to know that anytime I’m doing something meaningful that’s going to be a stepping stone in my life, in my career […] to become the person I want to be, you know that it’s been controversial,” she continued.
The “Flowers” hitmaker then traced how her relationship with public controversy has shifted over time. She admitted the attention “used to be a lot of fun” and acknowledged her own capacity for chaos, noting “I can be pretty melted. I love that about me.” She referenced her past approach to life, explaining she “used to live my life pretty hard” because she believed “life’s hard so I thought I had to get hard.”
That philosophy no longer serves her, she made clear. “But, you know, I didn’t enjoy my life as much when I was living hard. I love pouring myself into something,” Cyrus said.
The physical and emotional toll of performing at this stage in her career surfaced throughout her remarks. She confessed she was finding it “hard” to stand on stage and deliver the show, revealing it doesn’t come “as natural” as it once did. “Because, like all of us, we change, we evolve, we grow, and we find what gets to come with us. What continues to fit,” she observed.
Cyrus framed the concert as a collaborative experiment rather than a polished product, noting the performance is “an experience for” her too and is made possible by the audience. “[This is] the only way I get to test my personal boundaries, my limits, what I think I can do,” she said.
She drew a firm line at questioning her authenticity. “I can take a lot, but one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I’m on the stage. Not one. I am fully present,” she resolved.
Friday’s show had marked Cyrus’s first major concert in four years and nearly a decade since her last full world tour. During that opening night, she paused after five songs to honor Dolly Parton, the legendary “9 to 5” singer who died in August at age 80. Parton was known to Cyrus as “Aunt Dolly,” and the younger singer spoke of their bond as “eternal,” saying “nothing in this life could ever tear [them] apart.” She grew emotional addressing the loss: “And I am going to see her again, and I can’t f–king wait because I miss her. Some of the greatest music that we have today was written, produced, performed by my aunt Dolly.”
The Friday performance also saw Cyrus reflect on her uncertain future with large-scale touring, telling crowds that “performance can’t be everything because the curtain closes and the lights go down, and I have to go back home and be happy with who I am.” She thanked fans for “honoring that and respecting and celebrating and supporting and encouraging me, finding this balance in my life where I can really have everything that I’ve ever wanted.”
Cyrus’s Hollywood Bowl run continues with her third and final scheduled performance at the venue.