'I'm Not Afraid Of Who I Used To Be': Miley Cyrus On 'Younger Now'

Chances are, you have an opinion about Miley Cyrus. The 24-year-old pop singer got her start as a kid on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana in 2006. She released her triple-platinum debut album, Meet Miley Cyrus, in 2007 — and has rarely been out of the headlines since, for everything from drug use to sexualizing her image to charges of racial appropriation.

Over the years, she's adopted and incorporated many musical styles into her hits. And with her sixth album — called Younger Now, out Sept. 29 — Cyrus has changed her look and sound yet again, trading in the hip-hop influences of 2013's Bangerz and strange psychedelia of 2015's Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz for a more stripped-down, country sound.

Cyrus spoke to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about embracing all versions of herself, confronting controversy and drawing inspiration from her family — including her godmother, Dolly Parton. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read more of their conversation below.

Lulu Garcia-Navarro: Your new album is called Younger Now — and that's apparently a reference to a conversation