“Without my humanity [and] my connection, I can’t be a songwriter.”

Miley Cyrus

Tessa Petak is a Brooklyn-based writer who helps to cultivate InStyle’s illustrious news coverage across a wide range of topics including celebrity, fashion, and entertainment.
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Miley Cyrus is putting herself first by choosing not to go on tour. After initially making the announcement back in May, she’s doubling down on her choice.

When the singer first released her Endless Summer Vacation album, she told fans that she would not be taking the album on the road, and now in an interview series promoting her new tear-jerking song “Used to Be Young,” (a follow-up to the album), Cyrus explained that touring just isn’t healthy for her.

Miley Cyrus Performing at Miley's New Years Eve Party

GETTY IMAGES

“What people don’t really understand about touring is the show is only 90 minutes, but that’s your life,” she said in the clip, which was shared to her TikTok.

 “If you’re performing at a certain level of intensity and excellence, there should be an equal amount of recovery and rest.”

Miley Cyrus Performing at Miley's New Years Eve Party
GETTY IMAGES

“There’s a level of ego that has to play a part, that I feel gets overused when I’m on tour and once that switches on, it’s hard to turn it off,” she continued.

“And I think when you’re training your ego every single night to be active, that’s the hardest switch for me to turn off.”

She also explains that having thousands of people watching her night after night feels de-humanizing.

“Having every day the relationship between you and other humans being subject and observer isn’t healthy for me,” she added.

“Because it erases my humanity and my connection and without my humanity [and] my connection I can’t be a songwriter, which is my priority.”

She first revealed she wouldn’t be embarking on a tour in an interview with British Vogue and later clarified her comments after receiving backlash.

“For clarity, I feel connected to my fans NOW more than ever,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “When I win we win.

Even if I don’t see them face to face every night at a concert, my fans are felt deeply in my heart.”

“Performing for YOU has been some of the best days of my life & we will continue this journey together as we have for the last almost two decades,” she continued.

“This has nothing to do with a lack of appreciation for the fans & everything to do with I simply don’t want to get ready in a locker room. Which is the reality of life on the road.”