Miley Cyrus Talks Performing Without An Audience & Need For Pop Escapism

The show must go on.

While things certainly looked different at the iHeartRadio Music Festival this year, Miley Cyrus' performance was as big, bright and exciting as ever. While chatting with Elvis Duran after her killer set, the 27-year-old pop star opened up about taking the stage without an audience and why music is so important during these strange, uncertain times. "I think it's giving us that pop escapism and some normalcy," Miley said of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. She even joked that she hopes her performance this year, being so over the top, makes everybody watching feel like things are temporarily back to normal.

One thing that's not so normal for Miley? Performing on stage without any fans in the audience. "At a concert, the artist comes second and the crowd comes first," Miley told Elvis. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss that. I don't love this. I miss my fans. The virtual wall isn't enough for me. It's not," she said, though she praised all the hard work that goes into making a music festival happen safely during a pandemic. In the best of times, Miley says, we all want to be "sweaty, packed in, and in Vegas" when we go see music live.

This isn't the first time Miley has performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival over the last 10 years. The reason she keeps coming back is for the eclectic lineup. Speaking with Elvis, Miley says she doesn't feel like she's a "genre-specific artist" so it's fun for her to perform here alongside artists like BTS, Bon Jovi, Migos and more.

Miley and Elvis took time out of their music chat to speak about the upcoming presidential election. Miley's been using her voice and platform to remind her fans to vote. "Changes need to be made and they don't happen without our attention or activism," Miley said. This past year showed us we "need unity and to put our differences aside" and do what is best "not only for the care of our own country, but for the world." The best way to do that is by voting.

In case you missed it, or just want to re-live all of the epic performances from this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival, tune in to the two-night highlights special on The CW on September 27 and 28 from 8-10pm ET/PT.

Photo: Vijat Mohindra for iHeartRadio


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