MILEY Cyrus (pictured) said when she stole the night at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, she didn’t realise her impact and influence. Now, the singer says she wants to use her powers for good.
The 21-year-old is helping the Hollywood homeless centre My Friend’s Place by launching a Prizeo campaign, urging her feverish fans to donate to the cause assisting homeless young people. Cyrus brought a member of the centre as her date to Sunday’s VMAs at The Forum in Inglewood, California, letting him accept her award for video of the year.
“I think what I realised after my last performance at the VMAs, I didn’t realise my platform, I didn’t realise my power and I didn’t realise my voice and how loud it is,” Cyrus said. “And I thought, you know, rather than sit here and talk about, ‘Oh, on every news cover, every time you go to AOL or wherever you go everybody’s sitting there talking about me,’ instead of using it as a negative, how can I use it as a positive? If I’m going to be speaking this loud, what am I trying to scream at the world? And this is it. It’s kind of a wake-up (call), which is what I had to do.”
Cyrus said the high of winning awards and memorable performances didn’t last long, unlike her charity work.
“This fills you up and it feels good for a long time. I feel incredible today,” she said. “I feel like there’s a way that I can incorporate everything I do in the future around youth homelessness… It just gives me more of a purpose. I tell everybody, I mean, dying a pop star is not what I want to have on my tombstone.”
For the campaign, Cyrus is asking fans to donate $5 which will enter them in a raffle. Winners will meet Cyrus at her September 28 concert in Rio de Janeiro.
“I can’t really stop until I reach this goal… I just want to give my fans a real reason to use their power for much more than a VMA,” she said of winning the fan-vote top award on Sunday night.
Cyrus had a breakthrough year with she released Bangerz in 2013, which achieved platinum status and featured the hits Wrecking Ball and We Can’t Stop. The former Disney star said she’s working on new music with the Flaming Lips, but said she’s not putting pressure on herself.
“I am just focusing on being the happiest and the best I can be because there were years I had to give out a lot of energy and now it’s taking it all in,” she said. “I grew up where I had pressure as a kid to work and to always have the next record… and it’s not really about that for me anymore.
“I’m really happy. I’m in the best place.” – Sapa-AP