The Journal·September 2, 2026·6 min read·By Harshit Chawla

Miley Cyrus Drops Her Last Name

A red-and-black rebrand graphic of Miley Cyrus, showing her Instagram profile change from Miley Cyrus to the mononymous Miley, with New Music Coming Soon.
Miley Cyrus rebranded to the mononymous "Miley" across her website and social media on August 31, 2026.

What exactly changed across her online presence?

Her Instagram account, formerly @mileycyrus, now appears simply as @miley. Her official website's URL changed from mileycyrus.com to mileyofficial.com, and both platforms adopted a striking, moody red-and-black visual identity, including a dramatic close-up self-portrait posted to Instagram with no caption beyond the single word "MILEY."

Is this confirmed as an official, permanent name change, or could it just be an album title?

Not entirely clear as of this writing. There's no formal confirmation on whether this represents a genuine, permanent professional name change or whether her upcoming album will simply be titled Miley, with the mononymous branding functioning as an era-specific aesthetic choice rather than a lasting rebrand.

What do we actually know about the new music she's teasing?

Genuinely confirmed to be in progress. About a month before the name change, Cyrus told Wonderland magazine she was working on new music, describing the upcoming album specifically as a "love story." This would mark her first new album since 2025's Something Beautiful, which itself followed 2023's Endless Summer Vacation.

Has she considered dropping her last name before, or is this a completely new idea?

Genuinely not new. More than a decade ago, around the 2013 release of Bangerz, she publicly toyed with the same idea, wanting to establish a more adult identity distinct from her Disney Channel past. This new rebrand echoes that earlier moment, though it arrives at a genuinely different, more established point in her career.

Does this connect to any other recent developments in her personal or professional life?

Yes, several genuine, recent milestones. She signed with Atlantic Records in July 2026, and the rebrand follows that signing by about a month. On the personal side, she got engaged to musician Maxx Morando in December 2025, after four years together; the couple met through a blind date, and Morando later revealed he proposed in Kyoto, Japan. She was previously married to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth from 2018 until their 2019 separation, with the divorce finalized in January 2020.

Has she addressed her complicated relationship with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, recently?

Yes, with real candor. She's said she and her father were distant "for a time," and in 2025 she released a song written specifically for him as what she called a "peace offering," later sharing that he cried upon hearing it. Speaking to CBS News last October, she described their current relationship simply: "For us, me and my dad, we just kind of moved forward."

Is there any indication the name change is connected to a specific business or legal reason, like a label transition?

Some online speculation has floated the idea that the change might relate to domain rights tied to a previous label relationship, though nothing has been confirmed publicly connecting the name change to any specific legal or contractual reason rather than a purely creative, aesthetic decision.

How have fans generally reacted to the rebrand?

With genuine, widespread enthusiasm and speculation, much of it referencing her own 2013 breakout single "See You Again," whose lyrics include the line "she's just being Miley," a detail fans have pointed to as a fitting connection to this new mononymous era.

Frequently asked questions

Has Miley Cyrus officially changed her professional name? Not definitively confirmed; it may represent a permanent rebrand or simply be tied to her next album's era-specific branding.

What has she said about her upcoming album? She described it to Wonderland magazine as a "love story," marking her first album since 2025's Something Beautiful.

Is Miley Cyrus engaged? Yes, to musician Maxx Morando since December 2025, after four years together.

Has she tried a similar name change before? Yes, she considered dropping her last name around the 2013 release of her album Bangerz as well.

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