Miley Cyrus reveals surprising way she landed on 'Avatar 3' soundtrack

Miley Cyrus can buy herself "Flowers" and book her own jobs, thank you very much.

The Grammy-winning pop superstar, who's been racking up appearances on top movie soundtracks, got candid on her surprisingly forward approach to getting her tunes on the silver screen in an interview with People magazine published Sunday, Dec. 28. Cyrus' song, "Dream as One," is featured in James Cameron's latest "Avatar" film, "Avatar: Fire and Ash."

"I kind of throw it out there as I always do," Cyrus, 33, told the outlet, explaining that she pitched herself to Cameron when the two were honored as Disney Legends at the D23 fan expo in 2024. The former "Hannah Montana" star made history at the time as the youngest-ever recipient of the career achievement honor.

"I already knew the answer to, 'So, what have you been up to?' I know he's been up to 'Avatar' for a very long time. [I told him], 'Just let me know if you ever need any music,'" Cyrus continued. "It just kind of organically happened. James actually calls us 'Legends-in-law.'"

Cyrus similarly put herself out there when it came to her song "Beautiful That Way," which was included on the soundtrack for Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis' 2024 drama "The Last Showgirl." "I did the same thing to Jamie Lee Curtis," Cyrus said, laughing. "That's how I ended up doing 'Last Showgirl.'"

"Dream as One," which Cyrus cowrote with Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Simon Franglen, was nominated for best original song at the upcoming 83rd Golden Globe Awards. The emotional pop ballad has also been shortlisted as a potential Oscar nominee for best original song at the 98th Academy Awards.

"I wanted to surrender and soften and become very vulnerable and tender through it because that's something that can be lacked in these huge, epic films that are filled with so much action," Cyrus told USA TODAY earlier this month. "I wanted to do something that I thought no one else would, which is my favorite thing."

Cyrus doesn't appear to be letting up on her musical initiative any time soon, telling People magazine that she was inspired to attend the 2025 Academy Awards as a networking opportunity for her songwriting.

"That's why I went to the Oscars this year," Cyrus said. "Everybody that came up and introduced themselves, I said, 'Well, if you need any music, I'm around.'"

Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY