Miley Cyrus Reveals Who Came Up With Her Pole Dance Idea for ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ at 2009 Teen Choice Awards

Miley Cyrus is opening up about one of her most controversial live performances.

In a chat with her sister Brandi Cyrus on Spotify’s Billions Club series, the 32-year-old pop superstar shared the story behind her infamous performance of “Party in the U.S.A.,” where, at 16 years old, she danced on stage with a pole attached to an ice cream cart.

“This is going to be no surprise to you. Do you know whose idea that was?” Miley asked her older sister, who guessed it was their mother, Tish Cyrus. “Yup, that was my mom’s idea. So she always lets me take the blame,” the “Flowers” hitmaker confirmed. “When I got in trouble the next day, you know who was nowhere to be found? Tish Cyrus.”

“Party in the U.S.A.,” which appeared on Miley’s 2009 EP, The Time of Our Lives, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While the pole dance routine sparked backlash from critics who felt it was a poor choice for the then-16-year-old Hannah Montana star, given her young fanbase, Miley revealed that the performance stands out to her for a different reason.

“The thing that I remember most about that performance was it was the first time I ever wore real diamond jewelry on stage,” she told Brandi. “So you guys remember the little old ice cream truck, but I remember the diamonds.”

This isn’t the first time Miley has spoken about her live debut of “Party in the U.S.A.” at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. In a “Used to Be Young” TikTok video last year, the singer explained that the pole was actually used for “stability.”

“My mom was like, ‘I think it would be really cool if she was in the trailer park, ’cause that’s where we really do come from,’” Miley said in a playful imitation of Tish. “So, apparently me dancing on an ice cream cart with a stripper pole, but it wasn’t a stripper pole, it was actually just for stability. I had a heel on! Like what did you want from me?” she added. “Was I really gonna do my performance without dancing on top of an ice cream cart?”