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Billy Ray Cyrus<\/a> isn’t trying to recreate the past anymore.<\/p>\n After more than a decade without a new album of original material, the country star has returned with The Hill<\/em>, a project that finds him reflecting on mistakes, searching for hope, and embracing a version of himself that feels more honest than ever before.<\/p>\n In a conversation with Taste of Country<\/em><\/a>, Cyrus acknowledged that listeners may hear themes of redemption woven throughout the album’s 15 tracks. And he doesn’t disagree.<\/p>\n Asked whether songs like “Better Me” and “I’ll Change” reflected a search for redemption, Cyrus said he was ultimately reaching for something bigger.<\/p>\n Music is always open to the listener’s interpretation, but in my heart and the soul from which I sang it, I was certainly reaching out for that. I mean, it’s probably pretty evident that I’m reaching. I’m reaching for something, some light in the darkness, some hope that this all means something more?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The result is an album that often feels like a snapshot of a man trying to make sense of a complicated chapter in his life.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>15 Country Songs Have Reached One Billion Spotify Streams: No. 1 May Shock You<\/a><\/p>\n Produced by his son Braison Cyrus<\/strong>, The Hill<\/em> arrives after a period of significant change in the singer’s personal life, making the album feel especially reflective.<\/p>\n \u201cThe album as a whole could be listened to as a moment of a man’s life in a journey where he had lived some pretty strange s—,\u201d Cyrus says with a laugh. \u201cI couldn’t have predicted how this would come to this moment, but I’m very aware and grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n At one point in the conversation, Taste of Country<\/em> suggested that the album sounds like a man who has stopped chasing the success of “Achy Breaky Heart.”<\/p>\n Cyrus immediately agreed. \u201cOh, sure. Of course it does,\u201d he says. \u201cThe past is in the rearview mirror.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n While he still appreciates everything that came before, Cyrus says he’s far more interested in being present than reliving old glory days.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got the present,\u201d he tells Taste of Country<\/em>. \u201cI think that’s why they call it the present. The gift, the present, the gift is the present.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Billy Ray Cyrus Reveals He Nearly Died After a 2024 Sepsis Battle<\/a><\/p>\n For Cyrus, that perspective has become one of the biggest lessons of his journey. \u201cEverybody just be in the present. Be as happy as you can,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n That outlook was on display<\/a> at CMA Fest, where Cyrus reflected on the generations of fans who have followed him throughout his career.<\/p>\n One lighthearted moment came when Taste of Country<\/em> writer and PopCrush Nights<\/a> host Donny Meacham passed along a message from his mother, who insisted Cyrus is “still the sexiest man alive.”<\/p>\n Cyrus laughed and jokingly demanded that the compliment be included in the story. \u201cOh, man. I’m so glad you told me that,\u201d he says lovingly. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he reflected<\/a> on what it means to still be connecting with audiences more than 30 years after “Achy Breaky Heart.”<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people now, I just witnessed it at CMA Fest last week,\u201d Cyrus says. \u201cI see generations who were with me in 1992. I see their kids, and then I see their little kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Lights, Camera, Action: See Which Country Singers Have Attempted Acting<\/a><\/p>\n Some of those younger fans, he noted, are discovering Hannah Montana for the first time through the show’s recent anniversary celebration.<\/p>\n It’s this beautiful circle of life. It’s truly a real honor that there are those who have persevered and persisted through this journey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For a man who spent much of The Hill<\/em> looking forward instead of backward, it’s a reminder<\/a> that some parts of the past are worth carrying with you.<\/p>\n Here are the best songs from 33 different country artists, as picked by Taste of Country staff with help from the most recent sales and streaming data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBilly Ray Cyrus Was Reaching for Something<\/h3>\n
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He’s Not Chasing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’<\/h3>\n
A Full-Circle Moment<\/h3>\n
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Best Songs By Country Music’s Biggest Stars<\/h2>\n