Billy Ray and Noah Cyrus Talk Grammy Family Tradition

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in Billy Ray Cyrus’ family, with many of his kids becoming successful musicians in their own right. But his daughter Noah Cyrus is about to do something that’s never been done before.

By earning a Best New Artist nomination at this year’s Grammy Awards (airing Sunday, March 14 on CBS), Noah and her dear-old dad are the first father-daughter combo in history to score the same Grammy recognition, and they talked about the feat on a special edition of Spotify’s For the Record podcast.

Billy Ray earned his Best New Artist nod at the peak of his “Achy Breaky” fame — back in 1993 — so it’s now been nearly 30 years since that mullet-tastic era. But he remembers it like it was yesterday, and his feelings about the honor seem to have rubbed off on Noah.

“And so in the year of 1993, I said they’re nominated for five Grammys and trust me, from a man that was living in his car at 29 years old and 10 years of failure, I told myself over and over, I am just lucky to be nominated,” Billy Ray said. “I’m just thrilled to be here. That’s the greatest honor in the world. And that’s true. That year I didn’t win any Grammys. In fact I lost five Grammys.”

“I’m just excited to be nominated because I think for me, it’s not about winning or losing, I think anyone who’s nominated for a Grammy is genuinely celebrating that they’re nominated for a Grammy,” the “July” hit maker agreed. “I’m more excited to be there and be in such a great category with the artists that I’m in it with because I’m in this category with such amazing women and powerful female acts that carry their own.” 

Sharing the nomination with Doja Cat, Kaytranada, Megan Thee Stallion, Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Chika and D Smoke, the rising pop talent released her EP The End of Everything in 2020, and also appeared alongside Jimmie Allen in the emotionally-charged country epic, “This Is Us.” Just like her dad back in the ’90s, she feels like she’s the best she’s ever been, musically, and is only getting better.

“I’ve come into my own with my music, and I love the music I write, I love the music I make,” she explained. “And it wasn’t that the Grammy told me that I’ve met certain standards. That’s not what it told me. It just told me that they see me and they hear me, and they appreciate what I’m writing. That was all that I could ask for was just that little bit of assurance that I am on the right track of making music that I will want to listen to and sing forever.”

Beaming with pride, her dad agrees.

“You started dedicating yourself to writing the best songs you could write and being the best musician you could be,” he said. “And I’m sitting there going ‘That’s my Noie! That’s my Noie! Look at her!’ The dream is happening.” 

Fans can get more Noah Cyrus music with the release of two Spotify singles, out today. For the recordings, Cyrus re-recorded her song “July” and covered Bon Iver’s “Re: Stacks.”

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards air live on CBS Sunday, March 14, at 8 p.m. ET. Check out more about the show, including a rundown of the country nominees, here.