Billy Ray Cyrus is "all good" with "just Miley."
After news of Miley Cyrus dropping her last name with the release of her upcoming album "Bass Persuades," her country-singer father took to Instagram to clear the air.
Cyrus, 65, said amid the loss of her godmother and family friend Dolly Parton that "family means more than ever now."
"I always called my little girl Miley. Just … Miley," he captioned an old family photo of himself, a young Miley and his youngest son. "Just like I always called my little boy Braison."
Cyrus explained that he actually went by his last name before his 1992 signature song "Achy Breaky Heart." He joked that his career might have looked different if he didn't make the change. "Now … if only Mercury / Polygram would have just
not insisted on the 'Billy Ray' part and just let me be CYRUS…… I could have done something!!!"
Name changes are a "natural progression," he added.
"I told @miley yesterday I felt good about her going with her first name. I mentioned Dolly and Cher. Thinkin about it more and more … Elvis .. Prince …and so on," he continued. "It's a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend. And the legend continues ! Looking forward to the new album."
Miley, 33, was born Destiny Hope Cyrus in November 1992 to Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus. She was given the childhood nickname "Smiley" for her bubbly demeanor before eventually shortening it to Miley. She kept the family moniker when she launched her own Hollywood career in her teens, landing the title role in the Disney Channel sitcom "Hannah Montana."
In 2008, the actress-singer legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus.
Miley Cyrus new album release date
Cyrus' new album, "Bass Persuades," is set to be released on Sept. 18.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Billy Ray Cyrus reacts to Miley Cyrus' last name change
