Billy Ray Cyrus Confirms Engagement to Singer-Songwriter Firerose

Following weeks of speculation by fans, “Old Town Road” singer Billy Ray Cyrus, 61, has confirmed that he is engaged to wed Australian singer-songwriter Firerose. Rumors swirled last month after both Cyrus and Firerose posted photos on social media that depicted Firerose wearing what looked like an engagement ring.

Cyrus and Firerose confirmed the engagement to People, noting that Firerose moved into Cyrus’s Tennessee home during the summer. Cyrus proposed in August.

Firerose said that there was no traditional proposal — no ring or getting down on one knee.

“Billy looked at me and said, ‘Do you, do you wanna marry me?’ And I was just like, ‘Of course I do. I love you.’ He said, ‘I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.'” Firerose later selected a diamond and designed her ring.

Cyrus and Firerose first met on the set of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana 12 years ago and stayed in touch over the years.

“Our friendship was so solid over the years,” Firerose told People.

During the early days of the pandemic, they began writing songs together and in July 2021, they released the song “New Day.”

“She plays all of her own instruments and writes her own songs. We began sharing music, and it just evolved,” Cyrus said.

“Billy confided in me a lot of what was going on in his life,” Firerose added. “I was just the best friend I could possibly be, supporting him.”

“There was sickness and death, and hard times,” Cyrus said of how the pandemic impacted his life. “All of the sudden, the life that I’ve always known as a touring artist didn’t exist anymore. A moment of so much change. And at the same time, Firerose, who had been such a light of positivity, such a best friend. And then when we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn’t know could exist. Again, we’re musicians, first and foremost, both of us. And we found this harmony, and this rhythm, this melody to life.”

The new relationship follows Cyrus’s split from his ex-wife, Tish, in April, after three decades of marriage. Tish placed the divorce filing, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the cause. TMZ reported that according to court documents, the couple had been living apart for the past two years.

Billy Ray and Tish later provided a statement to People, saying, “It is after 30 years, five amazing children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways — not with sadness, but with love in our hearts,” the statement read. “We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths. We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents. We have not come to this decision lightly or quickly but with so much going on in the world, we wanted to provide some clarity and closure, so we can remain focused on what is important…With Love and Hope… Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus.”