Miley Cyrus on Marking ‘Hannah Montana’ 20th Anniversary: ‘I Want the Fans to Really Feel Seen’

Miley Cyrus has detailed how she came to write “Dream as One,” her Golden Globe-nominated ballad that appears during the end credits of her Disney “legend-in-law” James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, which opened this weekend. She also hinted at how she plans to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of her own Disney show’s Hannah Montana.

In a new interview with Variety conducted following the world premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in Los Angeles, Cyrus shared the story of how her song “Dream as One” ended up in Cameron’s film. She said that while she was backstage last summer at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, the director was ahead of her in line, along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Harrison Ford.

First, Curtis tapped Cyrus for the end credits to The Last Showgirl, which led to the Golden Globe-nominated “Beautiful That Way.” Then, Cyrus — a fan of the Avatar franchise — took a chance for a bucket-list opportunity and asked Cameron about how things were going on Fire and Ice. Turned out, Cameron had already discussed Cyrus with Avatar composer Simon Franglen and the idea of them working together.

Cameron came up with the song’s name, reflecting the film’s finale. Cyrus and collaborators Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt took it from there. “Coming in at the end was actually really helpful, because, when you’ve worked on something for like 20 years, you get so close to it that it’s hard to see it from that outside perspective,” Cyrus said. “I’m just writing it like someone who loves Avatar.”

As for what her plans are for marking the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana in spring 2026, she told the outlet she hopes to bring an element from Avatar into her approach to the occasion as she considers how she might commemorate it.
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“Something that they always say in Avatar is ‘I see you’ — and that’s something really important that I want the fans to feel during the ‘Hannah-versary,’” Cyrus said. “Someone called it the ‘Hannah’ anniversary the other day, and I was like ‘No, no, no, it’s the ‘Hannah-versary,’” she said, adding, “I want the fans to really feel seen. They know that I appreciate them, but I also see like their growth. Because I have these moments all the time where people celebrate my evolution, but I see theirs as much as they see mine.”

When asked whether a celebration might involve in-person events or a concert tour, she teased, “TBD. That’s still in the works.” She added, “Everything takes time. I want to make something that’s meaningful, thoughtful, and really satisfying for the fans.”