Credit: ColumbiaMiley Cyrus broke with the Walt Disney Company a decade ago when she left the incredibly popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana and has rarely referenced her family-friendly image in the years since. Now, it seems that Cyrus is ready to bring the iconic company back into her life.
Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were essentially interchangeable for the early era of the singer’s career. If you mentioned one, you knew what the other meant: a cheerful, All-American girl who loves pop music, lives with her real-life father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and struggles to deal with the trials of adolescence.
However, when the Disney Channel series ended in 2011, Miley Cyrus swerved hard away from her clean-cut image and adopted a highly sexualized persona that alternately veered from hip-hop culture to psychedelia to hard rock. However, following her divorce from actor Liam Hemsworth, it appears that Cyrus is more inclined to look back at the more innocent years of her career.
Related: Miley Cyrus Once “Shut Down” Disneyland for her Birthday
“Used to Be Young”
Miley Cyrus’s upcoming single “Used to Be Young” has been teased for weeks with an extensive campaign including posters of the singer alongside lyrics from her previous hits like “I hopped off the plane at LAX” and “I came in like a wrecking ball.”
MILEY IS COMING #UsedToBeYoung pic.twitter.com/zYOhs1LoJh
— USED TO BE YOUNG (@angelslikejaded) August 14, 2023
Now, a new teaser for “Used to Be Young” is directly referencing Miley Cyrus and Disney together. Sharp-eyed fans have spotted that a shadowy image of the singer seems to depict her wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with Mickey Mouse; it is hard to imagine a stronger reference to her past as a major part of the Disney machine. Notably, Cyrus will be presenting a new TV special on ABC, a network owned by Disney.
August 25TH. USED TO BE YOUNG.
In celebration of my new single release Endless Summer Vacation (backyard sessions) continues. Aug 24 @ 10pm EDT on ABC. This time with a retrospective interview sharing stories about the first 30 years of my life in honor of U2BY. This song is… pic.twitter.com/auU6nH8nXC
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) August 17, 2023
Reportedly, the new song includes the lyrics “I know I used to be crazy / I know I used to be fun / You say I used to be wild / I say I used to be young.” Could it be that Miley Cyrus is signaling some kind of reconciliation with Disney?
Miley Cyrus and Disney Now
Earlier this year, Miley Cyrus partnered with the company for the first time in years, releasing the concert documentary Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions) on Disney+.
Related: Miley Cyrus Stopped Entire Concert to Film Fans Brawling
There has been no follow-up indication that the singer was ready to work with the iconic media company until now. Prior to her Disney+ concert release, the closest Miley Cyrus came to joining the House of Mouse was a very brief voice-only cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), which she did not reprise for the sequel.
But now it seems that, at the very least, Miley Cyrus might be ready to confront her child stardom. We’ll just have to wait for the single to see.
Do you want to see Miley Cyrus back at Disney? Let us know in the comments below!