Miley Cyrus performed one of the most controversial sets of her career in 2017 when she joined her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, on stage for a surprise live rendition of his greatest hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.”
But what should have been a sweet father-daughter performance has got fans split down the middle, with some viewers tearing apart their “embarrassing” set, while others fall in love with the nostalgia as Billy brings his career-defining single back to the stage.
Racking up more than one million views to date, Music Man readers can watch the moment play out in the viral video above…
A rare display unfolds as Miley Cyrus strums an acoustic guitar on stage, playing alongside Billy’s backing band. However, some fans aren’t impressed, calling out the fact that she only plays one chord throughout the entirety of the song—one viewer even taking to the comments section to write, “Hey, tell Miley this is not a one chord song!”
However, it’s Billy Ray Cyrus who steals the limelight, singing into the mic while dancing across a sliver of the small, cramped stage.
But between the chaos and the embarrassment, an oddly captivating energy shines through. This intimate set was never meant to be a pitch-perfect, award-show level, masterclass performance. It captures two world-renowned musicians bringing country music back to its roots, placing wholesome, fun family talent in the spotlight.
The bond shared between Miley and Billy shines more vibrant than ever before as they share a small stage and get their bar crowd chanting along. Carefree vibes run free in the best way possible, their set more like a jam sesh at a late-night party rather than a squeaky clean A-List performance. It’s raw, real, and refreshing, once the absolute cringe factor is overlooked.
As one viewer wrote, “I don’t get why people are slating this? Makes them more normal! I know if my dad had a big hit once and made us rich we would sing it at parties all the time!”
But others still spewed hate towards this father-daughter duet, calling out Billy’s antics in particular as they dramatically commented, “My mom worshiped you Billy, you betrayed your fans,” and “Big and little trashy. He helped ruin the country music industry.”