‘Cyrus’ Is Billy Ray Cyrus’ New Album, Not His New Name
Those up in arms about Billy Ray Cyrus changing his name to Cyrus can breathe a big sigh of relief. During an appearance on Live with Kelly & Ryan on Wednesday (July 13) the country singer said he's not changing his name, after all, chalking all of the buzz up to a rumor.
"I'm here to set the record straight," Cyrus — as in, Billy Ray Cyrus — tells the co-hosts. "That's the name of the album — Cyrus."
Secreast then asks, "So you're not changing your name?"
"No. I was supposed to keep it under wraps until 8/25, that's my birthday. It's the 25-year anniversary [of 'Achy, Breaky Heart']," the singer explains. "I have new music coming."
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"If you watched Still the King you heard a new song called 'You Good.' Actually, I wrote it about sending Miley a text saying, 'You good?' Just checking in," he furthers. "Then I wrote a song called 'You Good' about my real emotions and I thought it really fits Vernon in prison, writing his daughter. He knows he messed her life up and he's writing her to say, 'you good?' and that was the opening song in the show last night."
Cyrus told Rolling Stone in April that he planned to change his name, going solely by his last name from August forward. In fact, he revealed, he once pleaded with Mercury Records Nashville to let him do it sooner.
“I’m going to the hospital where I was born in Bellefonte, Ky., and legally changing my name,” he told the publication.
It seems that the backlash from fans questioning his decision to change his name has given him new perspective, as the singer previously told Taste of Country he underestimated how passionate fans would be about his name change plans, even though he was serious when he said he’d legally change it on Aug. 25.
“There’s now four versions, and I think over the next few months I’m gonna take a poll,” he said. “So I can be Billy Ray or Billy Ray Cyrus, or ‘C’ Cyrus or ‘D, I don’t give a s–t.'”
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