Miley Cyrus released a new song, Secrets, on Friday, calling the track a peace offering to her estranged father, Billy Ray Cyrus. In a short clip from the music video posted to Instagram, the pop star wrote that the song was written as a peace offering for someone she had lost for a time but always loved, and that forgiveness and freedom are one and the same. She also thanked Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, who are featured on the track, for bringing magic to the music. "This song is for my dad," she added, making explicit the subject of the lyrics.
The portion of the song shared on social media includes a chorus in which Cyrus asks, "Hero / Can I be your hero? / Call off all your forces / A white flag in the war." The release also reveals a post-chorus that emphasizes devotion, with Miley singing, "Oh, I wanna be the one (I wanna be the one) / I wanna be the one (I wanna be the one) / Anywhere you run (Anywhere you run) / You know I’ll follow, whoa / Anywhere you go (Anywhere you go, you know I’ll follow)." Cyrus framed the message as a personal gesture toward her father, writing, "This song is for my dad."
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Billy Ray Cyrus, now 64, did not respond to requests for comment from Page Six, but the timing of the release unfolds against a backdrop of family strain that has stretched back to the couple’s divorce in April 2022 after nearly 30 years of marriage to Tish Cyrus. An October 2022 report cited a source saying Miley had found it hard to connect with her dad in the wake of the split and that she hoped they could eventually work on their relationship. The divorce left Miley closer to her mother, with sources noting she remained supportive of Tish during the proceedings.
In the years since, Miley has publicly acknowledged the rift while signaling a potential turn toward healing. A May interview with The Associated Press featured Cyrus describing her family as a priority in her thirties and crediting her father with giving her a roadmap of guidance, acknowledging that he had a difficult childhood. AFP photographs from the period also captured Billy Ray and Miley’s shared public moments as he offered encouragement for her career milestones.
Earlier, a June appearance on David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction series surfaced Miley’s gratitude for Billy Ray’s journey as a musician, and a May Instagram Story post from Miley sought to quash rumors of renewed feuding with Tish, stating that she and her dad had faced challenges but that bridges were being built and healing time had brought good health and love to the family. In recent months, Billy Ray has publicly congratulated Miley on career milestones, signaling a potential softening in the longtime dynamic.
The track Secrets was designed, in part, as a collaborative effort with veteran artists Buckingham and Fleetwood, underscoring Cyrus’s inclination toward personal and artistic reconciliation through music. While the broader public reaction remains to be seen, the release marks a notable moment in a long-running narrative about forgiveness, family, and the boundaries of reconciliation in a high-profile family.