The father-daughter duo made GRAMMYs history with their nominations in the Record of the Year category.
In a night filled with glamour, excitement, and musical triumph, Miley Cyrus secured her status as a two-time GRAMMY winner, with her chart-topping hit, "Flowers," officially crowned as Record of the Year.
However, it wasn't just the accolades that caught the audience's attention; it was the absence of a familiar name in her heartfelt acceptance speech.
Cyrus took the stage to thunderous applause on Sunday at Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena, expressing gratitude for the award and attempting to keep things grounded. "This award is amazing. But I really hope that it doesn't change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday. Not everyone in the world will get a GRAMMY, but everyone in this world is spectacular," she said.
The 31-year-old singer went on to thank various individuals who contributed to her success, including her team, friends, family, and loved ones. However, noticeably absent from her list of those to thank was a mention of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, who has been a significant presence in her life and career since her starring role in Disney's Hannah Montana.
"Everyone that's standing on this stage right now Tom, Tyler, Michael, and Greg. Our teams, my team, Crush, Columbia, my mommy, my sister, my love, my main gays because look how good I look," Cyrus acknowledged with a sense of humor, yet her father's name was not included.
As she scanned the crowd and the team behind her, she continued, "Anyone else? Your wife, your fiancée, all the people that we love. Thank you all so much," concluding the speech with a playful remark about possibly forgetting underwear.
While the omission of Billy Ray raised eyebrows among fans and viewers, the evening's focus remained on the success of "Flowers." The self-love anthem not only secured the prestigious Record of the Year award but also triumphed over stiff competition, including hits from Billie Eilish, boygenius, Jon Batiste, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Taylor Swift, and Victoria Monét.
Even a day after the awards ceremony, Miley took to Instagram to note that she had left some people out that she needed to thank, but again made no mention of her famous father.
"I had all the perfect things to say but none of them could come out in this moment of shock. I’m happy they didn’t… because (thankfully) prepared perfection just isn’t my story. Life is so much more exciting this way. 🦋 Thank you @mariahcarey for being so iconic. MCxMC4EVR," she wrote. "To my mommy @tishcyruspurcell I love you more than anything in the entire universe, my family, @brandicyrus thank you for being there like always, my godmother @dollyparton - I felt your fairy dust everywhere ( I put a little extra in my hair , could you tell?!) My lover, my momos, my friends, my collaborators , @kidharpoon @tylersamj @pollackmusic @aldaelong , every single person who made this song and album possible! My team (a little extra love to the glam team) , Bill Sobel who is my hero and doesn’t have Instagram so will probably never see this, Crush Music , @oliviarudensky + @fanmade , Ron Perry and all of Columbia records."
Miley concluded her post, writing, "I celebrate my fans above all else. No award means as much to me as the years we’ve spent together. You SAW me before this recognition. I never needed it because I HAVE YOU. A day doesn’t pass that I don’t spend at least a moment thanking heaven for sending me such supportive earth angels. I love you with my entire heart. To many more years together."
Miley and Billy Ray made GRAMMYs history this year after Miley's Record of the Year nomination for her 2023 hit single, "Flowers." The father-daughter duo became just the third pair in history to achieve the honor -- Billy Ray has two ROTY nods so far, for 1992's "Achy Breaky Heart" and 2018's "Old Town Road" -- and they're in good company.
Frank Sinatra earned seven Record of the Year nominations over the course of his storied career, and his daughter, Nancy, scored one in 1967 for their collaboration, "Somethin' Stupid." Meanwhile, Nat King Cole had one nod in the category, for 1962's "Ramblin’ Rose," while his daughter, Natalie, earned one for their 1991 studio-assembled duet, "Unforgettable." (Nat wasn’t nominated that year, because his part in the song had been recorded many years earlier.)
This gives Miley and Billy Ray the distinction of being the first father-daughter duo to both earn Record of the Year nominations for their own individual songs -- not a duet with one another. It also marks a career milestone for Miley, as she scored her first nominations in the GRAMMYs' Big 4 General Field categories. Along with her Record of the Year win, "Flowers" was also nominated for Song of the Year, and Miley's 2023 album, Endless Summer Vacation, was nominated for Album of the Year. She won her second GRAMMY for Pop Solo Performance.
While she didn't thank her dad on Sunday night, she did get emotional speaking about their special bond in the ABC special, Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation, which aired in August 2023.
"I do have a lot of great memories singing music with my dad, like, learning and absorbing and I think I can see my wheels turning and watching his voice and the way that he's using the instrument," she siad. "I will say I feel vocally, my dad was under appreciated."
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, Miley's mother, were married 28 years before divorcing in April 2022. Billy Ray is now engaged to Firerose, while Tish married actor Dominic Purcell.
The 2024 GRAMMY Awards aired Sunday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and was broadcast and streamed live on CBS and Paramount+ from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from music's biggest night, including performances, GRAMMY winners and more.
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