Miley Cyrus hits back at critics questioning her stage presence during Hollywood Bowl comeback

Cyrus defended her commitment to live music after videos online questioned her stage presence during her comeback show

Miley Cyrus has responded to criticism of her recent Hollywood Bowl performance, defending her commitment to live music after social media videos questioned her stage presence during her comeback show.

The singer addressed the backlash during her second performance at the Los Angeles venue on Sunday, October 18, after returning to the stage following a four-year absence from live performances.

Cyrus said online commentary had accused her of not fully engaging with the performance because she did not sing every word of her songs.

“I’ve never heard that I don’t put my heart into something,” she told the audience, adding that some people were making videos to generate “clickbait”.

The singer also reflected on how her relationship with performing had evolved over the years, acknowledging that returning to the stage was not as natural as it once had been.

“It is hard for me to stand up here and do this show,” she said. “It does not come as natural as it once did to be before. Because, like all of us, we change, we evolve, we grow, and we find what gets to come with us.”

Cyrus explained that the experience was personally meaningful and allowed her to challenge her own limits rather than simply meet audience expectations.

She then made her position clear, saying, “I can take a lot, but one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I'm on the stage. Not one. I am fully present.”

During her performance of “Bass Persuades”, she also appeared to address the criticism directly, joking, “Oh I forgot, I’m supposed to sing every f**king word.”

Cyrus released her latest album, Bass Persuades, in September. No further tour dates were listed in the report.