about her first serious romantic relationship with tour with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and raved NOAH CYRUS WASN'T NERVOUS ABOUT HER first awards 'show performance until io minutes an ease beyond her years. "In the beginning of last about her love of horses for most of the trek. When before it hailpened. TWo days prior to the May 7 year, Iwas going through abreakup while writing. they returned to the family's ranch in Nashville, live debut of her new single "Stay Together" at But now, I'm not heartbroken anymore — it was for Billy Ray bought his daughter her first saddle, and the MTV Mewie & TV Awards, the 17-year-old the best and Ithink ablessing in disguise." Cyrus soon became askilled equestrian. "Noah lk was.. relaxing' in agym at the back of aVan Nuys, Growing up in Los Angeles, Cyrus was content is fearless," says the "Achy Brealçy Heart" singer. remaining on the sidelines of Miley's Disney "She took those years of riding horses and applied Calif.', studio, after hoiirs of rehearsals alongside four baeckupPdancers. Cyrus said that she had stardom, aside from afew cameos on Hannah that fearlessness to being amusician." expected \th eI performá' rice to be "laid-back"; when Montana. A 9-year-old Noah once hesitantly It wasn't until she saw her musical idol, U.K. 1\she hit the stage in aba' ggy white tracksuit and a joined Miley onstage for her song "Hoedown singer-songwriter Ben Howard, perform in Los .. mesh top, however, her choreography appeared Throwdown" during her 2009 tour, but the Angeles in 2015 when she was 15 that Cyrus (who awkward, her hip-hop lswagger tentative and younger Cyrus was goofing was home-schooled, and recently graduated) was her ve)cal prowess muted by the spectacle of the around backstage and going inspired to pursue music. She waited 12 hours in line skateb oard* half pipe on'stage behind her. through Miley's fan mail to be at the front of Howard's crowd at the Shrine "I had v'so much fun, but Iam not adancer," says instead of preparing her Auditorium, the same venue of her MTV Cyrus with`a laugh two days after performing. It own pop turn. That year, awards performance. was the first time Iworked with achoreographer, she spent asummer on "I wanted people to connect to me on and Iwas out of my comfort zone. I'm still testing that level," she says, "where Ican write the waters alittle bit every time Igo onstage." about anything, but it would still make Four years ago, Noah's older sister, Miley Cyrus, someone feel acertain way." Cyrus had dominated an MTV awards show by wagging her grown up with Adam Leber —whose tongue and twerking. Yet Noah is not Miley, and the Maverick Management has worked with Miley, younger Cyrus is not barreling toward aBangerz- Madonna and Britney Spears —and Leber esque promotional cycle. She censored the F-bomb started putting her in writing sessions. Less than while performing "Stay Together," asummery toast ayear later, Cyrus signed adeal with RECORDS, to fleeting party thrills, and confesses that she was Barry Weiss' independent label. too busy fangirling over the Stranger Things stars in Miley's next album is also due this year, but Noah the crowd to focus on pushing FCC boundaries. says the two haven't been seeking each other's Although Noah describes herself as "not avery opinion. The sisters are close (in March, Miley provocative person," she hasn't shied away from introduced Noah at the iHeartRadio Music Awards studio risks during her short career. Her debut as "the person Iwant to be when Igrow up"), and album, cheekily titled NC-17 and likely arriving Noah is eager to step out of big sis' shadow. "I'm this fall, was first previewed with "Make Me (Cry)," doing my thing, and Miley's doing hers," she says. asomber duet with British artist Labrinth. The "I've always wanted to be my own person. Even downtempo song was issued last November as a when Iwas 'Noah who rode horses,' Iwanted to be non-single but peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Noah Cyrus, not anyone else or afamily member." Hot loo. "Stay Together" was asharp turn toward But following the MTV performance, Cyrus pop upon its April release, but NC-17 won't admits that she's not ready to go toe-to-toe with necessarily linger in that space. There's atorch song Miley's arena tours — although she does want her that's more seductive than "Make Me (Cry)," a stage show to expand into an elaborate production, country track that addresses atroubled relationship after starting out with intimate performances in and an electronics-driven ode to adolescent apathy 2016. "I've been figuring out who lamas an artist," that has huge hit potential. she says. "If Icould borrow anything from Miley, it "The one thing I'd like to get across about my would be her stage confidence. For me, that's just Noah performed at the MTV Movie& TV Awards on May 7. album is how personal it is," says Cyrus, who speaks Inset: 11-year-old Noah with sister Miley in 2011. going to come with time." 0 Q&A MAKING ASTRONOMY TUN AND FLIRTY' Six years ago, when composer Nico Muhly Why the cosmos as aguiding theme? STEVENS Iwas thinking about early Genesis te> (EljOrk, Grizzly Bear) was commissioned MUHLY With [ancient] Greek and Roman and listening to Laurie Anderson. • to create apiece for Dutch concert hall religions, there's an active connection DESSNER Iwas [listening to] collaborative torus!:" Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, he called his between observing something and making albums — something that comes out of a indie-rock super-friends (Sufjan Stevens, art about it. Naming stars is aweird musical friendship, like This Mortal Coil — 'No-s-eLe • The National guitarist Bryce Dessner and combination of the scientific and poetic. since these are my closest friends. ' drummer lames McAlister) to lend ahand. STEVENS It's asong cycle, but the narrative The project has been performed sporadically environments are unique to each song. For The idea of making order out of chaos Stevens since 2012 and fashioned into Planetarium, [the myth of] Venus, al Ithese references feels pretty timely. Has the meaning of the Stevens, Muhly and aconcept album (out June 9) based on the exist to the word "callipygian," which piece changed for you through the years? Dessner performed mythologies of the planets and stars. In spite means "nice buttocks." You find aword like STEVENS There's aphrase Ising: "Run Planetarium live in of the subject matter, the quartet wasn't out "call' pygian," you have to use it. nation run, before we go by." Iwas thinking .è> Brooklyn in 2013. to create anything too dramatic. "I didn't of navigation, avoyage to anew frontier, Inset: the cover of the want to do 'art music,'" says Stevens. "I Did you look to any classic concept whether in Star Trek or the real world. Now it studio album. wanted it to be fun and flirty." albums for inspiration? just sounds really dark. —REBECCA MILZOFF Dessner 32 BILLBOARD I MAY 27, 2017 .