"It hurt to not be recognized for my work": Miley Cyrus reflects on years of GRAMMYs snubs before her first win

After years of redefining her identity beyond the Disney spotlight, Miley Cyrus is finally at peace with a moment she once thought might never come.

In her exclusive interview with The New York Times, the songstress opened up about her journey toward artistic validation, citing the new milestone last year when she took home her first Grammy for her hit single “Flowers.”

“I think I never admitted to myself how much it hurt to not be recognized for my work. I’ve hidden behind, ‘It didn’t matter,’ so when I finally did get recognized, it was an extra layer of that bandage over something that I didn’t even know really hurt me.”

READ: The reinvention of Miley Cyrus: From Disney Star to Genre-bending powerhouse

For Miley Cyrus, who rose to fame as Hannah Montana, the road to critical acclaim wasn’t without hurdles. Her start at Disney came with a specific image, one that she believes she had to “overcome” before being seen as a serious artist.

“I think there’s a couple things. Starting from being on Disney, you already have something that you have to overcome. I’ve never understood needing to overcome Disney or being Hannah Montana because Hannah Montana was a singer.”

Though she never received a Best New Artist nomination, Cyrus noted the influence of her early work and questioned the lack of industry acknowledgment during that time.

“I was never nominated for best new artist, which was totally cool with me, but at one point I just think I kind of was the best new artist — and if it wasn’t the best, it was just so impactful to a certain generation that there should be some sort of recognition for that.”

After leaving Hannah Montana behind, Cyrus took bold creative steps, which, in her view, may have outpaced the public’s expectations. According to her, after leaving her Disney image behind, she moved forward quickly in her career, faster than some people could keep up with.

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The “Angels Like You” hitmaker also recalled how her peers, particularly male artists, seemed to receive opportunities she didn’t, despite comparable success.

“I remember being brokenhearted because the Jonas Brothers got asked to perform with Stevie Wonder, and I never got an opportunity like that as a young girl, when my show had been on air for years and I had had everyone on that show — Dolly Parton, Vicki Lawrence, who taught me so many amazing things.”

READ: Miley Cyrus set to premiere 'Something Beautiful' visual album at Tribeca Festival 2025

In spite of this, Miley Cyrus has come to see that absence of formal recognition as a strange sort of blessing. Her sense of impact came from something deeper than accolades.

“It actually was the greatest blessing, though, that those awards never happened, because I was recognized all the time by millions of people that were really — their identities were being formed by me. There’s a part of them that’s a little part of me. So my reward is that people loved me, and that felt good.”

Despite her hard work, the lack of recognition from major award shows over the years took an emotional toll. Each year her name wasn’t called left her questioning what more she had to do.

“I’m not saying I am owed it or I deserve it, but it just felt like, ‘What am I not doing?’”

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Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus released her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, on May 30. The 13-track record features songs like “End of the World,” “More to Lose,” “Easy Lover,” “Reborn,” and more.

A musical film titled Something Beautiful, sharing the same name as the album, is slated for release on June 6.

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