As one of the 14 honorees at the D23 fan event on Sunday, Miley Cyrus became the youngest Disney Legend ever. In her emotional speech, the 31-year-old singer paid tribute to Hannah Montana, the titular role from the hit Disney Channel show. The Flowers hitmaker took on the iconic role in 2006 when she was just 13.
Miley Cyrus pays tribute to Hannah Montana
Cyrus took the stage during the convention held at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California, after Lainey Wilson’s performance of her breakout song, The Best of Both Worlds. “I’m definitely going to cry,” the Wrecking Ball singer said as she received a standing ovation from a crowd of 12,000.
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She joked about having two speeches prepared for the night, saying, “One long, if I’m the badass that I’m supposed to be, and one short if I get scared.” Cyrus recalled her Disney Channel days, admitting that she would forever be “proud” of her role as Hannah Montana.
“They gave away tickets at the Glendale mall where I would have my first free concert. The first song I opened with was titled This Is the Life, which of course, no one knew because, in reality, I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream,” she said, adding, “But in my heart I was Hannah Montana, and I was so proud to be.”
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The Angels Like You singer admitted that everything changed for her since then as she dedicated the award to her iconic blonde-haired role. “A little bit of everything has changed since that day, but at the same time, nothing has changed at all,” she explained.
“I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley in so many ways. This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, this is the life,” Cyrus added.