The secret meaning behind Miley Cyrus' Grammy looks

From the pop star's extreme bouffant hair to the five sequin-spangled outfits she wore, Miley's looks were a nod to her famous godmother.

Miley Cyrus has never been known for her retiring looks. This is an artist who likes to make a statement – and the Wrecking Ball singer did exactly that earlier this week, with five different outfits at the 2024 Grammys. The bold looks got people talking: They were smothered with sequins, beads and even feather shawls. And then there was Cyrus' hair, which was piled sky-high.

If this aesthetic feels familiar, that's because it’s straight out the playbook of Cyrus’ godmother, Dolly Parton, an 11-time Grammy winner herself and, according to many, the "world's best-loved celebrity." 

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Parton became close with Cyrus' father, Billy Ray Cyrus, when they toured together in the early 1990s, "because he’s a Kentucky boy [and] I’m from Tennessee," Parton said on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show last year. "And he said...We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother!’ And I said, ‘Well, I’d be honored.’ So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years."

That closeness is evident in their musical collaborations as well as Cyrus' Grammy fashion. In fact, two of the outfits Cyrus wore that night were vintage designs of Bob Mackie, who has been creating stage looks for Dolly Parton since 1979 (alongside other entertainment icons like Marilyn Monroe, Cher and Diana Ross).

At this year's ceremony, Cyrus was nominated for six awards and took home two: record of the year for Flowers, as well as best pop solo performance. It’s the first time the singer has won a Grammy. When reflecting on her wins on Instagram, the Tennessee-born artist tagged her godmother, saying, "I felt your fairy dust everywhere (I put a little extra in my hair, could you tell?!)."

Dolly Parton has long been the poster girl of country music – and known for her standout style. Last year she released a book about her fashion choices, which she described in an interview with the Guardian newspaper as ‘bizarre’.

She said, "I’ve worn some of the most bizarre things – my hairdos have always been so out there. At the time you think you look good, then you look back on it, like, what was I thinking">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });