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Miley Cyrus has finally found the best of both worlds.
In a new interview with Variety ahead of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special premiering on Disney+ later this month, Cyrus explained that she is ready to "reclaim" her Hannah Montana roots after previously ditching her Disney persona.
"A lot of artists feel like to become the next version of themselves, they have to leave something behind," she said. "But I'd rather be more like a gorgeous patchwork blanket. I'd rather take every little piece of all the things that I've been and create a mosaic of exactly who I am now — not trashing any of that past but allowing it to come with me."
As she said during the filming of the special, "I used to think of Hannah as something separate from myself. [...] This special is my reclaiming of merging Hannah and Miley together."
In fact, the 20th anniversary special was a result of the "Flowers" musician hinting at its existence — even when the concept did not exist at the time — all because she wanted to make something special for fans of the beloved series.
"She willed it into existence," said Disney executive Charlie Andrews. "The thing she was adamant about is that this is for the fans. That has gone into literally every decision she has made."
Cyrus is keeping the spirit of the past alive, elevating her alter ego's style and giving new life to iconic songs like "This Is the Life," "The Climb" and "Best of Both Worlds," all done without a hint of "irony."
"This is not a joke. I didn't want this to be a viral moment. My point of doing this was not to break the internet," she said, adding that she wanted to make sure her devoted fans "feel seen" throughout the nostalgic special. "My entire life is because of that loyalty."
Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special premieres March 24 on Disney+.