Everyone has those periods in their lives where it just feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel. But the human resolve is just something else — you struggle, but you make it through the other side.
And, according to Taste of Country, that's exactly what Billy Ray Cyrus is trying to channel in his newest work. He explained in an interview with the outlet that his first record of original material is full of reflection.
He explained that songs off The Hill have a lot of redemption baked into the lyrics. "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?" he mused.
Cyrus also reflected on the timing of the album in his life. It comes after some significant changes in his life, giving it a unique perspective.
In his words, "the 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*** [laugh]. I couldn't have predicted how this would come to this moment, but I'm very aware and grateful."
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Billy Ray Cyrus is No Longer Chasing Success
The outlet's interviewer made a point of mentioning the unique style shift in the album. They asked whether Billy Ray Cyrus had simply stopped chasing the success of "Achy Breaky Heart".
His response was a quick one: "Oh, sure, of course it does. The past is in the rearview mirror!" He added, "You got the present. I think that's why they call it the present. The gift, the present, the gift is the present."
Sage words, if you ask me. Cyrus even gave some sage words to those listening (and reading!) - "Everybody just be in the present. Be as happy as you can."
If those aren't words to try and live by, I don't know what are. Good on him for making those big changes in life.
