Lainey Wilson Revisits Her ‘Hannah Montana’ Roots & Honors Miley Cyrus With “The Best Of Both Worlds” Performance

Lainey Wilson is going back to her roots.

And not her Louisiana roots but the roots of how she first started on stage. Before Lainey Wilson was known as the woman who coined “Bell Bottom Country,” the now-country music star spent some time impersonating another artist.

Like many other artists bound and determined to make it in this industry, Wilson had quite a few odd jobs before their first significant hit. Wilson, who lived in a camper in her friend’s front yard when she first moved to Nashville, was booking birthday parties before she was booking big gigs. However, some of the parents who booked her when she was a Hannah Montana might argue that their little girl’s birthday party is a big gig.

If you didn’t know then, now you do. Lainey Wilson was a Hannah Montana impersonator to help pay the bills for many years. Wilson has never shied away from her past, often opening up about the time spent belting out “The Best Of Both Worlds.”

“I learned all fifteen Hannah Montana karaoke tracks. I would do birthday parties, fairs, festivals, St. Jude…you name it. Lainey Wilson would open up the show for Hannah Montana. So yeah, I finally hung the wig up… but it made me some money, though, I ain’t even going to lie. I did it for five years.”

Wilson said in a 2022 interview, speaking about her past.

Over the weekend, Disney honored Miley Cyrus at the fan event D23. Cyrus was one of fourteen honorees highlighted during the event for the impact they have made on the company. Before she was honored with her award, Wilson brought back Hannah Montana to the stage and performed some of the biggest hits from the Disney show. When Wilson took the stage, she took a second to say a few words to Miley Cyrus directly about how Hannah Montana impacted her musical journey.

“Miley, you might not know this. But I am truly one of your biggest fans. My very first job was taking my portable sound system, a wig, and fifteen tracks from front to back to impersonate Hannah Montana. I’m talking about birthday parties, fairs, festivals, you name it. It was me, Lainey Wilson opening up for me as Hannah Montana. You talk about ‘The Best Of Both Worlds.’ You inspired me to believe in myself. That I, too, could be an ordinary girl living in an extraordinary world.

So on behalf of Miley Cyrus fans everywhere, I’d like to dedicate this song to you.”

Decked out in an outfit inspired by Hannah Montana, with a blinged-out tie (but of course keeping the Lainey Wilson signature of bell bottoms), she brought a high-energy performance of “The Best Of Both Worlds” to the California arena. Wilson might have a little more twang on her vocals than Cyrus did when she embodied the blonde pop sensation, but she does a knock-out job on the performance.

Wilson is living a full circle moment, revisiting the character that helped kick-start her singing career. Like Miley Cyrus, Wilson has ditched the alter ego, performing as herself and selling out massive venues.

@hollywoodreporter #laineywilson performs #hannahmontana song “The Best of Both Worlds” while honoring #mileycyrus at #d23 ♬ original sound – The Hollywood Reporter