Miley Cyrus On Growing Up And Becoming A Diva

The Associated Press

Having a best-selling record is good reassurance – and Miley Cyrus is getting plenty of it these days while on her high-selling "Wonder World" tour. The tour became the first tour of its size to use paperless ticketing to try to get around mass resellers. (One warning: You have to present the credit card used to buy the tickets to gain entry to the event.)

It's just one more example of the maturing career of 16-year-old Miley. While she's still known to millions as the star of the Disney phenomenon Hannah Montana, she's not just a teen queen anymore. VH1 crowned her as one of its Divas, she's in an upcoming movie playing a defiant teen, she recently deleted her popular Twitter page, and she's calling the shots on her tour.

Miley recently talked about her new show, growing up and what being a diva means to her.

What would you say is the most diva-like thing about you?

This tour is the most diva thing. Because when I got here, it was like, "OK, we are not messing around, this thing is going to be like full out. We are going to get everything; it's going to continue to blow people's minds." And everyone was like, "All right Miley is stepping it up." And I was like, "Yeah, it is my tour." The first time I was actually going out, no Hannah Montana, none of that. Just my own style.

You are going to be in the film The Last Song, out next spring. Is it a departure from your Hannah character?

I really do get to do a little bit of everything. It is not like getting away from it at all, it is just showing more of a side that I want to show. I love doing Hannah Montana, but I want to continue doing things that are a little bit ... darker. ... That is kind of who I am and where I find most of my inspiration in movies like that.

Now that you are getting older, there is more talk of you possibly retiring the Hannah Montana character.

I thought about retiring when I was like 15. Just kidding. I would have retired like 12 years ago.

When that day does come, obviously it will be very sad, but will it also be a little bit of a relief?

I want to continue to do everything I can. My dad always says, "If you ain't having fun, it ain't working." And so, when I stop having fun, I'll just quit everything altogether. But, I'm having fun. ... I think I will forever do that, if I have the people that I'm around still around me. They make me happy, and the people that I work with I really love. ... I will be able to tour the rest of my life if I am having fun.

You have mentioned that you have made a few mistakes. What would you say was your biggest, and what was the most exaggerated one?

I think everything I do is exaggerated a lot. I think that no matter what, I think it is all about respect. People forget that when you are in the public eye, people forget you still have to respect people and you still have to [respect] their privacy. And also respect my family and trust the fact that my parents are raising me just like everyone else is raising their kids. They are doing it the way they want to. It is not for the media or for any one else to judge how they should or should not raise me.