Miley Cyrus has developed a fear of performing live since lockdown.

The singer, songwriter and actress shot to fame aged 13 as the lead character in the Disney Channel series ‘Hannah Montana’, but in a new interview says her experience of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic has affected her confidence on stage.

“I perform out of fear. I didn’t always have the fear of performing that I have now,” she tells W Magazine. “But going from spending two years alone and seeing no more than one person a day during lockdown to knowing that millions of people watch the Grammys is a big shock to the nervous system.”

Earlier this year, Miley performed at the Grammys when she delivered a dazzling showcase of her chart-topping anthem Flowers in a shimmering silver Bob Mackie dress.

The night saw her take home prizes for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for the tune, and she admits she tried to channel the confidence she had as a child into her performance.

“I wrote on this dream board that I wanted to show up to the Grammys with a childlike confidence, like when a kid isn’t scared to just dive into the deep end or do a backflip because they don’t know what’s on the other side,” she adds.

“My 12-year-old self got to come out and play, while my 31-year-old self was in Bob Mackie with big hair.”