Billy Ray Cyrus not trying to recreate the past anymore.
After more than a decade without a new album of original material, the country star has returned with The hilla project that makes him reflect on mistakes, search for hope, and embrace a version of himself that feels more honest than ever before.
In a conversation with Taste of countryacknowledged Cyrus, listeners can hear themes of redemption woven throughout the album’s 15 tracks. And he doesn’t disagree.
Billy Ray Cyrus was reaching for something
Asked if songs like “Better Me” and “I’ll Change” reflected a search for redemption, Cyrus said he was ultimately reaching for something bigger.
Music is always open to the listener’s interpretation, but in my heart and the soul from which I sang it, I definitely reached for it. I mean, it’s probably pretty obvious that I’m reaching. I’m reaching for something, some light in the darkness, some hope that it all means something more?
The result is an album that often feels like a snapshot of a man trying to make sense of a complicated chapter in his life.
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Produced by his son Braison Cyrus, The hill arrives after a period of significant change in the singer’s personal life, making the album feel particularly reflective.
“The album as a whole could be listened to as a snapshot of a man’s life on a journey where he’d been living some pretty weird s—,” Cyrus says with a laugh. “I could not have foreseen how this would come to this moment, but I am very aware and grateful.”
He’s Not Chasing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’
At one point in the conversation, Taste of country suggested that the album sounds like a man who has given up chasing the success of “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Cyrus immediately agreed. “Oh, sure. Of course it does,” he says. “The past is in the rearview mirror.”
While he still appreciates everything that came before, Cyrus says he’s far more interested in being present than reliving the glory days of old.
“You got the gift,” he tells her Taste of country. “I think that’s why they call it the present. The gift, the gift, the gift is the present.”
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For Cyrus, that perspective has become one of the biggest lessons of his journey. “Everyone just needs to be in the moment. Be as happy as you can,” he adds.
A full circle moment
That view was on display at CMA Fest, where Cyrus reflected on the generations of fans who have followed him throughout his career.
A light-hearted moment then came Taste of country author and PopCrush nights Host Donny Meacham relayed a message from his mother, who insisted that Cyrus is “still the sexiest man alive.”
Cyrus laughed and jokingly demanded that the compliment be included in the story. “Oh, man. I’m so glad you told me,” he says fondly. “Thanks.”
Then he reflected about what it means to still connect with audiences more than 30 years after “Achy Breaky Heart.”
“There are people now, I just witnessed it at CMA Fest last week,” says Cyrus. “I see generations that were with me in 1992. I see their children, and then I see their little children.”
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Some of the younger fans, he noted, are discovering Hannah Montana for the first time through the show’s recent anniversary celebration.
It’s this beautiful circle of life. It is truly an honor that there are those who have persevered and persevered on this journey.
For a man who spent a lot of The hill look forward instead of back, it is a reminder that some parts of the past are worth taking with you.
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Gallery credit: Billy Dukes
