Miley Cyrus reveals how Hannah Montana helped her grow

Miley Cyrus has revealed how her "fake" Hannah Montana persona helped her "perform authentically".

The 33-year-old singer, who was presented with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 on Thursday (26.03.26), paid tribute to her former character days after launching her 20th anniversary special celebrating two decades since the start of the Disney sitcom which told the story of Miley Stewart and her pop star alter ego.

Accepting the award, she said: "Hannah Montana inspired me so much in my own career.

"I fell in love with the idea that you can create a persona that gives you the confidence and the courage to perform authentically, and that sometimes the fake you can actually reveal the real you."

The Wrecking Ball hitmaker insisted innovation isn't "about leaving who I've been behind", as she'd rather focus on "keeping the journey to finding myself a lot of fun".

She added: "I've always written songs and told stories because I love it, and winning awards for that work is, of course, rewarding, but it's not my compass.

"Because if it was, I'm sure I'd end up very lost."

Miley pointed to the impact of realising her art "reaching the hearts of people she may never meet".

She said: "It brings me a kind of joy that is deeply meaningful.

"Younger me is so honoured to share this moment with you, and I'm proud to stand here today and tell you how much you mean to me. This really is the life."

While Miley previously thought of her Hannah Montana character and era as "something separate", she's learned to accept her days on the Disney show.

She recently told Variety: “A lot of artists feel like to become the next version of themselves, they have to leave something behind.

“But I’d rather be more like a gorgeous patchwork blanket.

"I’d rather take every little piece of all the things that I’ve been and create a mosaic of exactly who I am now—not trashing any of that past but allowing it to come with me.”