Miley Cyrus thinks her image reinvention was a wise move.
The 33-year-old pop star rose to fame as Hannah Montana on the hit Disney sitcom between 2006 and 2011, but Miley embraced a much bolder, more racy image in her late teens — and she doesn’t have any regrets about her decision.
Miley told Variety: “I boldly and unapologetically presented myself to the world at that time, where I could have gone the other way and played it safe.
“Maybe that would have been successful at the time, and it wouldn’t have been such a cross to bear, but I wouldn’t have had the reward. I don’t know if I would have had the sustainability that my career has now.”
Despite this, Miley acknowledges that she didn’t face the same pressures as other child stars.
The chart-topping singer – who is the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus – reflected: “My parents didn’t need me to be famous to survive or to be stable.
“What happens to a lot of these kids is their parents want it more than they do, or the kids become responsible for the entire income of the family. That was never my job. Every penny I ever made went into my bank account because my parents were good.”
Meanwhile, Miley previously claimed that she’s “not afraid” to walk away from the entertainment industry.
The singer insisted that she’s not wedded to the industry and is now open to the idea of walking away one day.
Speaking to Pamela Anderson for CR Fashion Book, Miley explained: “I’m always redesigning, reimagining, re-inspiring.
“I actually had this moment the other night where I was lying in bed thinking, ‘Wow, I really jumped on a train when I was 11 years old, and I’ve never gotten off.’ I made a decision at 11, and I’ve never stopped. I made this deep commitment, and I never questioned it or reexamined it.
“It wasn’t until my late 20s and early 30s that I started reevaluating: ‘Is this still what I want?’ So far, the answer has been yes, but I’m not afraid of the day it’s no. I don’t know if that day will come – when this no longer has my heart the way it does now.”