Miley Cyrus has always shared a close relationship with her godmother, Dolly Parton, and their bond has given fans plenty of heartwarming moments. But it’s Cyrus’s recent admission about a little white lie to Parton that has sparked both laughs and admiration. In a candid interview on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, Cyrus opened up about how she “lied” to Parton about two songs that didn’t even exist yet, but it turned out to be the creative spark she needed to write them.
The story dates back to Christmas two years ago when Cyrus visited the country icon, sharing the track “Something Beautiful” with her. After Parton listened, she asked, “Got any hits?” Naturally, Cyrus, not one to back down from a challenge, immediately replied that she had a new song titled “More to Lose.” The catch? She hadn’t written it yet. As she confessed, “I was like, ‘I’ll send it to you,’ but I didn’t have a song at all.”
The moment became a catalyst for her to get to work. Cyrus quickly reached out to her songwriting partner, Michael Pollack, and told him that they needed to write the song—now. Pollack suggested working with Autumn Rowe, a writer he’d started a song with, and with just the spark of an idea and a title, they quickly got to work in the studio. By early January, the song was complete and ready to send to Parton, just as promised.
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But Parton wasn’t done yet. When Cyrus shared “More to Lose” with her, the legendary singer asked again, “Got any more?” Cyrus, feeling the pressure, took a deep breath, and immediately blurted out another title she hadn’t yet written: “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved.” Parton, ever the enthusiast, loved the title so much that she suggested it could be a brand in itself, imagining everything from a makeup line to a major career milestone for Cyrus. With that, Cyrus was on the hook for yet another song that she hadn’t written yet. She laughed as she recounted telling Parton she was already working on it.
In the days that followed, Cyrus set to work on “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved,” and the song came to life in the studio. It wasn’t just about creating a song—thanks to Parton’s belief in the titles and her enthusiasm, the entire process felt like a reflection of the deep influence Parton has had on Cyrus’s career. Both songs—“More to Lose” and “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved”—are now set to appear on Cyrus’s upcoming album Something Beautiful, which drops on May 30, along with an accompanying film.
While Cyrus jokes about the little white lie that turned into a productive creative sprint, it’s clear that her admiration for Parton goes beyond just their music. Parton has known Cyrus since she was a baby, thanks to her friendship with Cyrus’s dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Over the years, they’ve developed a close-knit bond, and as Parton herself expressed in 2024, “She’s my little sweetheart. You know? My little goddaughter, so I feel very close to her.” With Parton’s encouragement, support, and her unmistakable influence, Cyrus has crafted two songs that showcase the power of her godmother’s inspiration.
As Cyrus gets ready to release her new music, fans are eager to see what this collaboration of love, admiration, and a little bit of fibbing has produced. Whether or not Parton gets the first listen, we can be sure that these two songs are bound to make waves in the music world, further cementing the special relationship between these two legendary women in country music.