iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026: Miley Cyrus Shares How “Fake” Persona Gave Her Confidence

Miley Cyrus accepted the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 on March 26, sharing how Hannah Montana’s alter ego inspired confidence in her own career. 

Miley Cyrus is getting her flowers.

While accepting the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 in Los Angeles on March 26, the “Wrecking Ball” singer shared an empowering lesson she learned from Hannah Montana. (See all the musicians in attendance here.)

“Hannah Montana inspired me so much in my own career,” Miley shared. “I fell in love with the idea that you can create a persona that gives you the confidence and the courage to perform authentically, and that sometimes the fake you can actually reveal the real you.”

Miley—who joins previous winners including Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga—explained that innovation for her isn’t “about leaving who I’ve been behind,” but rather “about keeping the journey to finding myself a lot of fun.”

“I’ve always written songs and told stories because I love it, and winning awards for that work is, of course, rewarding, but it’s not my compass,” she continued. “Because if it was, I’m sure I’d end up very lost.”

Instead, Miley finds fulfillment in “making art that reaches the hearts of people I may never meet.”

“It brings me a kind of joy that is deeply meaningful,” she added. “Younger me is so honored to share this moment with you, and I’m proud to stand here today and tell you how much you mean to me. This really is the life.”

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

It’s indeed been a nostalgic week for the 33-year-old, as she recently reunited with the cast of Hannah Montana in honor of the Disney Channel show’s 20th anniversary, producing a Disney+ special about the show with mom Tish Cyrus-Purcell.

“I used to think of Hannah as something separate from myself,” she told Variety in an interview published March 18. “This special is my reclaiming of merging Hannah and Miley together.”

In fact, Miley doesn’t feel the need to distance herself from her Disney days anymore.

“A lot of artists feel like to become the next version of themselves, they have to leave something behind,” she continued. “But I’d rather be more like a gorgeous patchwork blanket. I’d rather take every little piece of all the things that I’ve been and create a mosaic of exactly who I am now—not trashing any of that past but allowing it to come with me.”

Amy Sussman/Getty Images for iHeartRadio