Lars Ulrich & Miley Cyrus interview each other about “Nothing Else Matters,” rock music & more

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Metallica and Miley Cyrus are taking their collaboration from the studio to the page.

Drummer Lars Ulrich and the “Wrecking Ball” star have interviewed each other for a piece in Interview magazine. In the conversation, Cyrus shares what originally inspired her to cover Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” which she performed at Glastonbury in 2019 ahead of recording it for this year’s Metallica Blacklist tribute album.

“When I think about the sentiment behind ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ it aligns completely with my morals and my values,” Cyrus explains. “When I listened to ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ and I knew that I was confirmed for Glastonbury — I actually have chills talking about this — it was the only song that I could imagine playing.”

Cyrus’ experience of recording “Nothing Else Matters” for the Blacklist album, though, felt like the “polar opposite” of playing it at Glastonbury.

“I recorded it at home, in the middle of a f***ing global pandemic, because I couldn’t leave my house,” she says. “It was no less poignant than playing it at Glastonbury — if anything, it was more powerful. The lyrics truly f***ing resonated.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Cyrus speaks on her sound becoming more rock-driven. In addition to covering songs including Temple of the Dog‘s “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and The Cranberries‘ “Zombie,” her new album Paper Hearts features Stevie Nicks, Billy Idol and Joan Jett. Her live band also includes Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney.

“I love having these authentic, real rock dudes in my band,” Cyrus says. “We even revisit songs that I wrote before I was able to make this huge sonic pivot in my career, before I discovered rock and roll. Now, we cover my own songs. We take my original songs, and turn them on their head, and make them kick a**.”