Miley Cyrus Drops Last Name, Prompting Dad Billy Ray to Publicly Defend the Change: ‘Family Means More Than Ever Now’

Miley Cyrus has dropped her last name in the lead up to her tenth studio album, "Bass Persuades," prompting her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, to speak out on X in defense of the decision.

Miley's announcement fueled the rumor mill about alleged ongoing tensions between the pop star and her father (see The Daily Beast headline: "Pop Star Rebukes Dad With Plan to Change Her Famous Name"). But according to Billy Ray, Miley notified him about the name change in advance and he had nothing but support for his Grammy-winning daughter.

"Family means more than ever now," Billy Ray Cyrus wrote on X. "I always called my little girl Miley. Just … Miley. Just like I always called my little boy Braison. Bet you didn't know … I was just CYRUS before Achy Breaky Heart came out in 92…. I told Miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name. I mentioned Dolly and Cher. Thinking about it more and more … Elvis .. Prince … and so on. It's a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend. And the legend continues ! Looking forward to the new album."

Miley Cyrus announced Sept. 1 that her new album is titled "Bass Persuades" and will release on September 18 via Atlantic Records. The tracklist for the album includes 10 songs, plus features from Model/Actriz and Miike Snow's Andrew Wyatt. Cyrus will promote the album with a rare return to the stage courtesy of a two-night stint at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Oct. 16 and 18.

"Music takes hold of us. We feel it, sing it, sometimes dance to it, let it out and carry on. It is powerful, vulnerable, sweet and strong," Miley wrote in announcing the album. "Heart full, heartache, every part of life in between. That's what the title means to me. Thank you for being a part of making my wildest dreams come true. I sincerely hope you love this album."

While rumors have persisted for years about tensions between Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus, the duo reunited earlier this year on the "Hannah Montana" 20th anniversary special. Miley told People at the time that music is how the two have always stayed bonded, even amid family hardships.

"It's really the way we communicate," Miley said. "Whether it's sending a song we wrote in a text or writing a poem that says how we feel in a way that's authentic to us, it's always been the way we share our feelings."

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