Noah Cyrus recently broke into tears when discussing a new song that chronicles her difficult experience growing up as the little sister of superstar Miley Cyrus.
During an Instagram Live to celebrate the Friday (May 15) release of her new EP, The End of Everything, the 20-year-old singer became emotional when discussing the lyrics to “Young & Sad,” which references her challenging upbringing.
“I think just the message of the second verse, being born in the family I was in, everybody gave me such a hard time for having a hard time being Miley’s little sister,” Noah explains. “But I always felt like I was that person that no one gave a shit about due to what people said to me online. It was absolutely unbearable and that’s why I write, ‘My sister’s like sunshine/ Always bringing good light wherever she will go/ And I was born to rain clouds … Blessed in her shadows.'”
This isn’t the first time Noah has discussed growing up in the shadow of 27-year-old Miley. In a recent tmrw magazine cover story, younger Cyrus remembered the difficulty of being known as “Hannah Montana’s sister” and other names that weren’t her own.
“Somebody not even coming up to you and calling you by your name?” she said. “That’s going to really f— you up as a kid, make you feel like you don’t f—ing even matter to the population — for them to not even know your name.”
Despite difficult times, Noah is proud to be a member of the Cyrus clan, and even has the moniker tattooed on her arm.
“I’ve always understood that I had a ‘powerful’ last name, or a well-known last name, so that’s not really what I wanted to be tied to,” she said in the interview. “I always wanted to be tied to Noah.”
Noah recently performed new songs and gave insider details about The End of Everything during her Billboard Live At-Home concert, which raised money for Direct Relief. Watch the performance below.