Chappelle Rowan learned a thing or two about authenticity from her favorite artist, Miley Cyrus. On Monday, the day after Cyrus was honored at the Disney Legend Actress Awards, Bob Crave shared the full clip of Rowan talking about her admiration for Hannah Montana star.
“The thing I admire about Miley Cyrus is that she’s constantly reinventing herself and always working,” the “Naked in Manhattan” singer said in the video. “For a lot of artists, it might seem inauthentic or unexpected, but she’s very open about her artistic and personal transformations. She makes music that’s very authentic.”
Rowan shared that the Best of Both Worlds Tour (opened by the Jonas Brothers) was the first concert she ever attended, and it still inspires her to this day. “I came down from the ceiling in a box,” she says. “I was like, ‘How can I do that one day?’ I still think about it. I still think about the show. I want to be like Hannah Montana.”
“There's a lot of similarities between Miley and my project, and I admire her too. I love her fans. She has the support of the whole world. She can do whatever she wants, which is what I want to do. Miley does whatever she wants and succeeds. I feel like Miley gives me freedom,” she added.
Rowan has been vocal about her admiration for Cyrus' Hannah Montana character in the past. During shows in New York and Los Angeles last year, Rowan performed several songs dressed as Hannah Montana. She also told eagle Last August, she said she'd love to be able to separate her character Rowan from her own identity — just like Miley did with Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel show.
“It’s very hard if I don’t have a separation between the two. It hurts me when people say bad things about me online,” she said. “But it doesn’t hurt me as much if they say it about Chappelle. Then they’re just commenting on the art. I have to remind myself all the time: Art is meant to be judged.”
On Sunday, Cyrus became the youngest person ever to be honored at the 2024 D23 Awards as she celebrated her role as Hannah Montana. “I still stand here proud to be Hannah Montana. Because she made Miley in so many ways,” Cyrus said on stage through tears.
She added: “This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and everyone who helped make my dream a reality. As the legend herself put it: ‘That’s life.’”
