Billy Ray Cyrus Breaks His Silence on Miley Dropping the Cyrus Name

Miley Cyrus is entering a new era - and she's doing it under a new name, or rather, half of one.

Ahead of her upcoming album Bass Persuades, the pop star quietly changed all of her social media handles to simply "Miley," dropping "Cyrus" for the first time in her career. Her father, country legend Billy Ray Cyrus, wasted no time weighing in - and he's fully on board.

"I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name," Billy Ray wrote on Instagram, name-checking fellow one-name icons Dolly Parton, Cher, Elvis Presley and Prince. "It's a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend. And the legend continues!"

But the post was about more than a rebrand. Billy Ray made clear the name has always been personal to their family, regardless of what's printed on an album cover. "Family means more than ever now," he wrote. "I always called my little girl Miley. Just ... Miley."

He also revealed a bit of his own history with the idea, joking that before "Achy Breaky Heart" made him a household name in 1992, his merchandise read simply "CYRUS" - a name tied to a POW/MIA tribute shirt he wore for years, printed with the words "You are not forgotten."

Billy Ray, who has spoken openly for years about the Pentecostal faith he was raised in and has never left, framed the moment less as a marketing decision and more as a family one - a father affirming his daughter, publicly and without hesitation, as she steps into something new.

Bass Persuades is expected later this month.

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