You recently dedicated a post to the fourth anniversary of “Malibu,” one of your most open, vulnerable love songs. How does music help you make sense of life, love, loss, joy, sorrow and everything in between?
I’m a believer that everyone’s suffering is different. All of us experience pain in our lives and loss and sorrow, but also joy and love and happiness. And so that song is bittersweet because it’s a reflection of a time that was filled with so much love and life, but it means something so different from when I wrote it. That song is complex because it’s filled with such a range of different feelings.
Plastic Hearts tapped into 1980s glam and anthemic pop, while you’ve previously invested in hip-hop, rock and country, of course. What are you listening to at the moment, and how might we see this reflected on your next record?
I’ve always loved music since I was born, but it was never genre specific. I listened and loved and found something that I related to in everything, so whether that was country, blues, jazz or pop, I found myself in that.
You’ve worked with so many big stars — Joan Jett, Dolly, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, RuPaul — as well as Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, Ariana Grande, and Britney Spears. Is there anyone left to work with?
There are always new emerging artists that are super interesting. I love Billie Eilish. I think she’s just the coolest. I love her, her messaging. I’d love to work with her.
Rock or pop? You have to choose one!
It depends on what kind of mood I’m in. Some days the toughest choice I have to make is Britney [Spears] or Courtney [Love]. Those are usually my big decisions, my big dilemmas.
What advice would you give yourself 10 years from now?
To stay updated, to keep educating myself, to never stop learning, to continue evolving and be conscious of the evolution happening around me, too. So keeping up with the next generation, looking at what they’re doing and what they’re interested in. We’re still honoring everything that’s been, but what happens if you don’t do that? You turn into Billy Ray Cyrus, who doesn’t have WiFi. (Laughs.)
What’s one piece of advice you’ll never forget?
It’s from my dad and it’s this: “A trying time is no time to quit trying.”
Miley Cyrus has teamed up with Magnum ice cream to inspire the world to #ShowYourLayers and be true to pleasure. On her YouTube channel on June 10 at 2:30pm EST, she will perform an exclusive concert mastered in 8D sound.