'You guys are extremely not alone': Noah Cyrus shares her story to help others at ACL Fest
Joined by her beloved dog Marshall, singer Noah Cyrus discussed grief, recovery and her new album Friday afternoon on Austin City Limits Music Festival’s’ Bonus Track stage.
The "Into the Multiverse" podcast hosted and recorded the conversation, called “Healing Through Music,” in front of a small audience shortly after Cyrus’ performance on the American Express stage. ACL Fest is just one stop on Cyrus’ North American tour for her album “The Hardest Part.”
“This album is kind of an autobiography where it just is so much for me that I was a bit worried in the beginning that like, ‘Oh, will anyone be able to relate to this?’” Cyrus said. “‘Is it alienating anybody by making it so personally about me?’ But I quickly learned that’s not the case.”
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Writing the album was a slow, linear process, Cyrus said, where she began with an opening verse and loose melody and then flowed into the rest of the song.
“That’s how life moves, so that’s how I tell a story,” Cyrus said.
Cyrus went on to recommend that people listen to her album from beginning to end, as every song is in its place for a reason.
The album’s titular song, Cyrus said, describes growing pains associated with going back home to Nashville.
“I just remember as a little girl, anytime the sun would go down and I’d start to feel the breeze and the shadows would be hitting the ground, I remember being so fearful because I knew the day was about to end, and I knew I’d have to give my dad a hug and I’d have to leave, and I’d have to tell my grandmother goodbye,” Cyrus said.
One song near the end of the album, called “Loretta’s Song,” honors her late grandmother. Cyrus said music connected them.
“It’s my honor to dedicate this album, these songs, to her,” Cyrus said. “Music has just been such a connector for me and my life with my family, with relationships. Music is like a language, I think, for me.”
Cyrus also took time to discuss her journey with addiction recovery — and how much her dog Marshall has been a part of it. When she has panic attacks, Cyrus said the feeling of Marshall’s fur helps ground her.
“I remember in days when I was struggling with addiction or whenever I was starting recovery… the days when I could not get out of bed to feed myself or to give myself water or for myself to go to the bathroom, I would get up and I would take (my dogs) to go to the bathroom,” Cyrus said. “Them waking me up in the morning at a time I felt so purposeless and not like I had a reason to live at all, I at least had them.”
Progress is not linear with a plateau in a high place, but a series of circles and infiniteness, Cyrus said. She also had encouraging words for those who may be struggling in similar ways as her.
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“I share my music in hopes that I find others that are like me as well, and you guys are extremely not alone,” Cyrus said. “And whether it’s therapy, whether that’s available to you or not, starting the conversation is extremely, extremely important. So I would say look through the resources, find resources you connect to. There are people that will help and that want to help.”
Cyrus’ next performance is Sunday in her hometown. Her tour ends on Nov. 4 in Los Angeles.
Get help: If you or someone you know is in an emotional crisis, you can call or text the free and confidential 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline. If you would like to discuss mental health treatment, call the free and confidential Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).