“The fact that we were singing so well together stirred up our emotions very much,” said Parton.
Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus co-hosted Cyrus' New Year's Eve Party together on NBC at the end of last year and it sure was a blast to watch. The 30-year-old and the country legend, 77, ended the night with a duet of two of their biggest hits, Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball and Parton’s I Will Always Love You, reports TODAY. But behind the scenes of the New Year’s Eve special, it seemed less of a party and more of an emotional journey, especially for Cyrus.
Parton said it was "an emotional time" for the Flowers singer, who recently released a new album. It seems the pop star has been healing from her painful divorce from Liam Hemsworth. At that time many fans had wondered if her song Wrecking Ball was about her 2013 breakup with the Hunger Games actor. The two first met in 2009 while filming The Last Song, and entered an on-and-off relationship for several years. The two eventually got married in 2018 but ended the union after eight months of marriage.
Here’s why fans think Miley Cyrus accused Liam Hemsworth of cheating on her #EndlessSummerVacation track "Muddy Feet." https://t.co/EQgq1t4ANY
— billboard (@billboard) March 10, 2023
In an interview with Insider, Parton recalled that her goddaughter was in tears during the rehearsal for their NYE special. But the emotions that came through helped their performance "to just soar" with both of their voices together. “The fact that we were singing so well together stirred up our emotions very much,” she said. “Then we went into I Will Always Love You and she would just have these tears coming down and it was so emotional.” The artists felt the song so deeply that it became "one of the reasons why the song sounded so good,” she said. “We both put our heart and soul into it, and both felt what we were singing — and singing about.”
Cyrus also broke down while performing Wrecking Ball at a 2021 Super Bowl pregame show, telling showgoers that the tune is about "feeling completely broken and shattered." She said, "I wear a lot of glitter and I wear a lot of armor and I also wear my heart on my sleeve, and it gets broken a lot," per E!
A source told PEOPLE that the singer is now thriving after dealing with the aftermath of the painful separation. "She's the healthiest and happiest she's been in a long time," they shared. "Everyone was blaming her for the divorce and calling her this wild child, but that wasn't fair. Their relationship and marriage was toxic, and she was heartbroken." Cyrus is currently dating musician Maxx Morando who has "no interest in being a huge celebrity; he's very low-key. Miley loves these qualities," the insider said. "Miley can be herself. They are supportive of each other's careers. Miley is enjoying life and things are great."
@MileyCyrus looks stunning as she celebrates the release of #EndlessSummerVacation with her boyfriend, Maxx Morando 💞https://t.co/iyPB6yxdJR
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) March 10, 2023
References:
https://people.com/music/miley-cyrus-is-happiest-shes-been-in-long-time-healed-after-heartbreak/
https://www.insider.com/dolly-parton-miley-cyrus-performance-2023-3
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter
