As Billy Ray Cyrus revealed in a new interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Hannah Montana is to thank for his hit collaboration with artist Lil Nas X on “Old Town Road.”
History was made for new artist Lil Nas X with some help from a remixed version of his single “Old Town Road” featuring country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus. The song quickly became one of the most played songs of 2019, solidifying Lil Nas X as a force within the music industry, while putting Cyrus back in the spotlight with a record-breaking hit.
The collaboration turned the heads of many and, as it turns out, fans have an iconic Disney Channel series to thank for bringing the two artists together.
Lil Nas X asked Billy Ray Cyrus to sing on “Old Town Road” because of Hannah Montana
When dropping by The Kelly Clarkson Show, Billy Ray Cyrus sat down to speak with host Kelly Clarkson about a number of topics including his collaboration on “Old Town Road.”
In speaking with Clarkson, Cyrus revealed he immediately stood up in excitement after hearing the song for the first time — a reaction he recalls previously having when first hearing his breakout hit “Achy Breaky Heart” — and wasted no time in making his interest in the collaboration known. The pair would go on to work together on the remixed version of “Old Town Road,” a hit which broke the Billboard Hot 100 all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 and secured Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video Grammys at the 62nd Grammy Awards earlier this year.
As for how the collaboration came to be?
It turns out it was Lis Nas X’s love for Disney’s Hannah Montana that effectively put Cyrus on his radar. As Cyrus reveals, Lil Nas X was a huge fan of Hannah Montana and invited Cyrus to work with him because of his love for the Disney Channel classic!
Like Clarkson jokingly reacted, it’s hard to picture Lil Nas X sitting around binging Hannah Montana; however, we’ll forever be grateful for his love of the iconic series and the gift it gave the world via the duo’s “Old Town Road” remix.
Check out Billy Ray Cyrus’ interview with Kelly Clarkson, in which he shares the story behind his collaboration with Lil Nas X, below:
Are you surprised to hear that Billy Ray Cyrus’ work on Disney’s Hannah Montana is responsible for bringing him and Lil Nas X together for “Old Town Road”?