Miley Cyrus Sings About Her Relationship With Her Dad In “Secrets”
"I'm as much a friend as I am his kid."
Miley Cyrus is using her music to heal her strained relationship with her father. Before the singer’s new single “Secrets” was released on Sept. 19, Billy Ray Cyrus shared a snippet of it on Instagram and revealed his daughter wrote the track for him. The release comes after a few years of highly publicized turmoil between Miley and Billy Ray. Now that the song is out, Miley is explaining how it encapsulates the new relationship she’s built with her dad.
On “Secrets,” which features a Fleetwood Mac reunion between Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham, Miley sings about wanting to bring an end to a battle: “Hero / Can I be your hero? / Call off all your forces / A white flag in the war.”
In the verses, Miley describes a loving relationship in which the two people don’t always have to be together, but know they are solid even during estranged moments:
Love is not a prison / I'm not a guard, no / So even when I'm holding you / I won't lock you up / You can come and go as you want / Would you like to be lonely? / Your word is all I want.
Miley explained how the lyrics are a message to her father in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition. “I wanted him to know that I'm grown now, and I'm a safe space for him,” Miley said. “I'm as much a friend as I am his kid. That's what this song was really about for me. Being that place that my dad feels safe…if you don't take my hand as I reach it out, I'm going to chase you because I want that relationship in my life.”
When “Secrets” was released, Billy Ray shared a touching montage of memories he and Miley made together. “A song straight from your heart to mine,” Billy Ray wrote on Instagram. “The memories we’ve made together mean the world to me, and seeing you soar with your music makes me prouder every single day.”
