Keeping it real! Miley Cyrus spoke out about her choice to cover Hal and Oates’ hit “Maneater” while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“So ‘Maneater,’ I think it’s very important to be transparent,” Cyrus, 27, told host Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, September 10. “So I’m freshly single, so anyone watching that’s my future ex-husband, just knows, I told you.”
The Hannah Montana alum, who split from Cody Simpson in August after 10 months together, added: “There’s no skeletons in the closet. I warned you first.”
During her appearance on the talk show, Cyrus performed her version of the 1982 song in a red, sparkly minidress and matching purse. She also took the stage to sing her new single, “Midnight Sky.”
The musician discussed her track, saying Stevie Nicks gave her the green light to sample “Edge of Seventeen” within the song.
“I said, ‘I have an alternate melody if you don’t want to, kind of like, pay tribute to you and your greatness and how much you’ve inspired me,'” Cyrus recalled of her conversation with the Fleetwood Mac singer. “And she said, ‘you can borrow from me anytime.’”
Cyrus has been focused on her artistry following her whirlwind romance with Simpson, 23, which came after a brief fling with Kaitlynn Carter in the summer of 2019 and shortly after her divorce from Liam Hemsworth.
During her musical journey, the Tennessee native has leaned on female singers Joan Jett, Nicks, 72, and godmother Dolly Parton. She told Fallon, 45, that all three are “open and welcoming to the new members” in the music industry.
“Everyone looks up to Stevie Nicks, but having that direct relationship has been, you know, kind of life-changing and just so important,” she added.
After releasing “Midnight Sky” in August, Cyrus opened up about her return to music and how heartache shaped her comeback.
“I love who I am so much right now that if any of those things hadn’t had happened, I’m not sure that I would have been the same person,” the former Disney Channel star told host Alex Cooper on her “Call Her Daddy” podcast last month.
She explained that she’s “been in love three times, but I’ve been in love more than I’ve loved anyone else one time.”
Cyrus mentioned her split from Hemsworth, 30, who she had an on and off relationship with for 10 years, noting how hard it was to end things as a public figure.
“I had a very public, very big breakup that was a 10-year span of a relationship,” she said. “I tried not to get lost in the emotion … It’s like a death when you lose a loved one, it’s that deep. It feels like a death.”
