Billy Ray Cyrus talks about Redemption, Hope on new album

Billy Ray Cyrus no longer tries to recreate the past.

After more than ten years without a new album of original material, the country star has returned The hilla project in which he reflects on mistakes, looks for hope and embraces a version of himself that feels more honest than ever before.

In a conversation with Taste of the countryCyrus acknowledged that listeners may hear themes of redemption woven throughout the album’s 15 songs. And he doesn’t disagree.

Billy Ray Cyrus reached for something

When asked if songs like “Better Me” and “I’ll Change” reflected a search for redemption, Cyrus said he was ultimately reaching for something bigger.

Music is always open to the listener’s interpretation, but in my heart and soul from where I sang it, I certainly searched for that. I mean, it’s probably pretty obvious that I’m reaching. I’m reaching for something, some light in the darkness, some hope this all means something more?

The result is an album that often feels like a snapshot of a man trying to understand a complicated chapter in his life.

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Produced by his son Braison Cyrus, The hill comes after a period of significant change in the singer’s personal life, making the album feel particularly reflective.

“The album as a whole can be listened to as a moment in the life of a man on a journey in which he has experienced some pretty strange things,” Cyrus says with a laugh. “I couldn’t have predicted how this would happen until this moment, but I am very aware and grateful.”

He’s Not Chasing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’

Said at some point in the conversation Taste of the country suggested that the album sounds like a man who has stopped chasing the success of “Achy Breaky Heart.”

Cyrus immediately agreed. “Oh yes, of course. Of course,” he says. “The past is in the rearview mirror.”

While he still appreciates everything that came before, Cyrus says he’s much more interested in being present than reliving old glory days.

“You have the gift,” he says Taste of the country. “I think that’s why they call it the present. The gift, the gift, the gift is the present.”

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For Cyrus, that perspective has become one of the greatest lessons of his journey. “Everyone just be in the present. Be as happy as you can,” he adds.

A moment when the circle is complete

That prospect was visible at CMA Fest, where Cyrus reflected on the generations of fans who have followed him throughout his career.

A lighthearted moment came then Taste of the country writer and PopCrush nights host Donny Meacham relayed a message from his mother, who insisted that Cyrus is “still the sexiest man alive.”

Cyrus laughed and jokingly demanded that the compliment be included in the story. “Oh man. I’m so glad you told me that,” he says lovingly. “Thank you.”

Then he thought about what it means to still connect with audiences more than 30 years after ‘Achy Breaky Heart’.

“People are there now, I just saw it last week at CMA Fest,” says Cyrus. “I see generations that were with me in 1992. I see their children, and then I see their little children.”

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Some of those younger fans, he noted, are discovering Hannah Montana for the first time during the show’s recent anniversary celebration.

It’s this beautiful circle of life. It is truly a true honor that there are people who have persevered and persevered on this journey.

For a man who spent a lot of it The hill looking forward instead of backward, it’s a memory that some parts of the past are worth carrying with you.