Billy Ray Cyrus has changed his name. The singer is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his hit “Achy Breaky Heart” by releasing some new versions of the tune, and is doing it under his new moniker, Cyrus.
"After August 25th, I will be the artist formerly known as Billy Ray. I'm just going by my last name Cyrus," he tells “Rolling Stone.” "I always went by Cyrus, and I begged Mercury Records to call me Cyrus in the beginning because that's what I was comfortable with. I'm going to the hospital where I was born in Bellefonte, Kentucky, and legally changing my name."
As for the new releases, the first, released last week, is more faithful to writer Don Von Tress’ original demo for the song. He also plans to release a Spanglish version of the tune, and an EDM version featuring Bootsy Collins.