RCA RecordsMiley Cyrus will always be daddy's little girl—even though the provocative pop star is clearly all grown up. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, Sept. 11, Billy Ray Cyrus weighed in on his daughter's record-breaking—not to mention controversial—"Wrecking Ball" music video. "The song's a smash," raved Billy Ray, 52.
Though Miley appears fully nude and licks a sledgehammer in the Terry Richardson-directed clip, Billy Ray believes the music video would have gotten people's attention regardless. "It wouldn't have mattered if Miley would have worn jeans and a flannel shirt, a tux or a nun's habit—her performance vocally on the tune reflects her roots and sheer God-given talent," he argued.
"I'm a song man," he added. "A musician singer-songwriter who loves all styles of music. I come from the old school where it starts with an artist and a song, colliding if you will, in a moment where the song, the singer, the producer, the band, and the listener become one."
In the wake of Miley's controversial MTV Video Music Awards performance, Billy Ray pulled out of a Piers Morgan Tonight interview in late August. He later defended his 20-year-old daughter's stage show, telling Entertainment Tonight, "She's still my little girl and I'm still her dad regardless how this circus we call show business plays out. I love her unconditionally and that will never change."