Miley Cyrus became a global star long before she could legally drink—thanks to her iconic double life as Hannah Montana. But for years, there was one thing she wasn’t allowed to do: sing the songs that made her famous. Now? That’s changing.
In a recent Spotify podcast, Cyrus revealed that Disney had actually forbidden her from performing any Hannah Montana music after she left the company. Yup, the Mouse wasn’t just mad—he was petty. And while that ban didn’t stop her from reinventing herself as one of the most powerful voices in pop, it still stung.
“After I left Disney, I wasn’t allowed to perform any of the Hannah Montana music,” Miley shared. “It’s not like I wanted to—performing The Best of Both Worlds between We Can’t Stop and Wrecking Ball wouldn’t really make sense. But it was still sad knowing those songs have my voice, my face, and I wasn’t allowed to sing them.”
That restriction is finally gone. After being officially inducted as a Disney Legend, Miley now has the green light to revisit the Hannah Montana catalog if she wants to. “Which is pretty cool,” she added—casual, but kind of monumental for anyone who grew up with her.
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The Hannah Montana Era Was Miley Cyrus’—But Disney Controlled the Legacy
Hannah Montana ran from 2006 to 2011 and even spawned a feature film. It was, in many ways, Miley’s real life with a Disney filter: a teenage girl trying to balance fame and normalcy, complete with her actual dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, playing her fictional one.
But behind the wigs and laugh tracks, the show also represented a version of Miley that Disney technically owned, even after she outgrew it. Her voice, her face, her name—packaged into a brand she wasn’t allowed to revisit, at least not without permission.
Sound familiar? It’s giving Hilary Duff and “Come Clean” energy—one of those early-2000s songs that followed her into adulthood whether she liked it or not. But in Miley’s case, it’s not just a meme comeback—it’s contracts, corporate control, and a billion-dollar Disney legacy.
See also: Justin Bieber Might Be Broke—and He Could Still Walk Away With Half of Hailey’s Billion-Dollar Deal
This article was originally written in Spanish by Fernando Eslava in Cultura Colectiva.
