Noah Cyrus found it difficult when she was asked about her sister Miley Cyrus when she was a child.
In an interview for Rolling Stone, the Again singer shared that she always wanted to be a “normal kid” despite being the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus and younger sister of popstar Miley.
“I had a really hard time being a part of a public family, and I struggled a bit with that, because it wasn’t exactly my first choice,” she said. “I had a hard time with people coming up to me and saying, ‘Are you Miley Cyrus’ little sister?’ or ‘Are you Hannah Montana’s little sister?’ I did not like that, and it stripped me of my own identity for a long time.”
As part of the conversation, Noah also reflected on some of her mental health challenges, including experiences of depression and anxiety, as well as substance abuse.
The star’s struggle with prescription drugs, especially the benzodiazepine Xanax, hit a low during the Covid-19 pandemic and she felt as if she were in a “dark pit, bottomless pit”.
Noah is now in recovery, and credits a large part of her health to the process of working on her new album, The Hardest Part.
“It gave me so much structure in the time that I really needed structure, because I didn’t want to just be sitting around and stirring in my brain,” the 22-year-old added. “It gave me hope.”
The Hardest Part is set to be released in September.
