The 32-year-old “Wrecking Ball” singer breaks her silence on a condition she calls a “blessing,” and why changing it could cost her everything.
On May 22, 2025, during an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Miley Cyrus opened up about a deeply personal medical condition, one that has defined her voice, complicated her career, and remained deeply personal until now.
Cyrus revealed to Lowe that she has Reinke’s edema, a condition she described as the result of “abuse of the vocal cords.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, the disorder causes swelling in the vocal folds due to fluid buildup. It’s most common in people with a history of smoking, but can also stem from acid reflux or vocal strain.
It often leads to hoarseness and a deeper voice, and in more severe cases, may require surgery. Though benign, it reflects vocal cord damage and typically doesn’t improve without treatment or lifestyle changes.
In Cyrus’s case, the condition developed alongside a polyp on her vocal cord — something that has deeply influenced the tone and texture of her voice.
“I have this very large, you know, polyp on my vocal chord that has given me a lot of the tone and texture that has made me who I am, but it’s extremely difficult to perform with because it’s like running a marathon with ankle weights on,” she said.
The former Disney Channel star noted that her unique vocal quality is mostly the result of her anatomy, not lifestyle. While smoking and partying in her early twenties may have contributed to the strain, they weren’t the cause.
Touring often crosses her mind, Cyrus admitted, but the logistics are more complex. “I put a tour together like every other week ’cause I want to do it, but it would have to be in a way that is sustainable for me in all the ways that we talked about and then also with what I got going on. Like, I don’t lip-sync, I sing live,” she shared.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Cyrus has no plans to undergo surgery. “I’m not willing to sever it because the chance of waking up from a surgery and not sounding like myself is a probability,” she asserted.
Opening up about the condition, she admitted that sharing it publicly was not easy. “I really like had it on my heart that I don’t speak and don’t really care to talk about this thing that’s really precious and really private to me but it is a real thing,” she revealed.
Though the condition presents obstacles, Cyrus called it a “blessing,” saying it has given her voice the very character that defines her sound and artistic identity.
That artistry earned her long-overdue recognition at the 2024 Grammy Awards. In February, Cyrus claimed her first-ever golden gramophone, winning Best Pop Solo Performance for “Flowers,” the self-empowerment anthem from her 2023 album “Endless Summer Vacation.”
The track marked a major career milestone for the eight-time nominee. The hit also received nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, while her album competed for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. She was additionally recognized for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Thousand Miles.”
Despite this wave of acclaim, Cyrus made it clear that traditional touring and public spectacle are no longer at the center of her creative priorities. On May 25, 2023, she addressed fans directly in a personal message titled “Sent From Heaven,” shared via X.
In the post, Cyrus said she feels more connected to her fans than ever, even without being on stage night after night. She explained that meaningful engagement doesn’t depend on constant visibility and that she continues to explore new ways of connecting with her audience while protecting her own well-being.
She emphasized that stepping back from life on the road isn’t about a lack of appreciation, but a conscious decision to prioritize what’s best for her. The demands of touring, from changing in locker rooms to sleeping on a moving bus, no longer align with how she wants to live.
Even the fashion that’s become central to her image, including delicate archival pieces, isn’t compatible with the realities of travel. She closed her message by reminding fans that she’s always evolving.
A message from Miley ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zEIyxn8342
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) May 24, 2023
Just days before sharing her message on X, Cyrus gave a candid interview to Vogue in which she opened up about how her outlook on fame and performing has shifted. She spoke about her current preference for creating in more intimate, familiar spaces rather than entertaining massive audiences.
“I love performing but pretty much for them,” she said, referring to her close circle of collaborators. “Like singing for hundreds of thousands of people isn’t really the thing that I love. There’s no connection. There’s no safety.”
Her comments continued with a reflection on the emotional disconnect she feels in large-scale concert settings. “It’s also not natural. It’s so isolating because if you’re in front of 100,000 people then you are alone,” she added.
She also revisited her early twenties. “I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played. Anyone, when you’re 20 or 21, you have more to prove. ‘I’m not my parents.’ ‘I am who I am,'” she recounted.
In a moment of introspection, Cyrus addressed the long-term emotional weight of those years and how her perspective has changed with age.
“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she admitted. “Now that I’m an adult, I realise how harshly I was judged. I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realise that I would never harshly judge a child.”
