Noah Cyrus has opened up about her struggles growing up while her sister Miley Cyrus was at the height of her Hannah Montana fame. At one point, she even denied that Miley was her sister. As Noah prepares for the release of her debut album The Hardest Part, she sat down with Rolling Stone for a candid conversation.

“I had a really hard time being a part of a public family, and I struggled a bit with that, because it wasn’t exactly my first choice,” said Noah. “I had a hard time with people coming up to me and saying, ‘Are you Miley Cyrus’ little sister,’ or, ‘Are you Hannah Montana’s little sister?’ I did not like that, and it stripped me of my own identity for a long time.” She revealed that she would sometimes reply with "no" when asked the question.

She also shared the way she found reprieve from all of the unwanted attention at such a young age. During that time she enjoyed riding horses at Far West Farms in Los Angeles training under the acclaimed rider Nick Karazissis. “Obviously, I had a family that was split up a lot,” Noah said. “Here I had something so permanent. […] They would always make sure that when I came here I was Noah. I wasn’t a Cyrus, I was just Noah.”

Noah's highly-anticipated debut album The Hardest Part is set to drop on September 16th.

Danielle Monaro