Out of whack in Manila

MILEY IN MANILA. US actress, pop singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus is set to meet the press at the Mandarin hotel in Makati on Thursday for her one-night concert tonight as part of “The Gypsy Heart Tour,” where the Philippines is her only stop in Asia. (See story on Page A15.) JIM GUIAO PUNZALAN

Manila time is whacking Miley Cyrus out.”

That was the first tweet about the city from the American teenage pop star as she left Los Angeles for her “Gypsy Heart” world tour. She reportedly created a new account to keep her fans updated about the tour.

“I think it helps with the rapport with the fans. You can say a lot of things and reach a lot of people which is nice,” she said.

“Everything in moderation is okay. People don’t have to know what I eat everyday. You don’t have to share your personal life because it will not be personal anymore. I don’t think that people are interested with what I’m doing 24/7.”

Whacked out or not, the teen star appeared fresh and excited when she entered a fully packed press conference at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati on Thursday.

Cyrus wore a brown vest over a white sleeveless top, faux leather shorts and high-heeled espadrilles. Accessories were kept at a minimum with only a few simple rings and a long necklace with beads. Her curly, dirty blonde hair reached past her chest. The anchor tattoo on her right wrist that she had done in Brazil last month could be seen every time she raised her hand. Almost unnoticed was the small heart tat on her right pinky finger.

Her first happy thoughts about Manila were her fans.

“The fans have been amazing. I was on this show [this morning] and they’re all super stoked. They had signs. It’s just great when you see people excited. I guess it helps when it’s your first time here,” she said.

Cyrus flew in late Wednesday for a one-night-only concert today (Friday) at the SM Mall of Asia, the only Asian stop of her Gypsy Heart tour.

According to a source from Future Entertainment, the concert promoters, at least 30,000 people are expected to attend the concert.

Cyrus first spoke about her trip to Manila in a YouTube video with her mother, Tish. She said that she was excited to spend a whole afternoon exploring the city while her mom shops.

“I love photography and I love to travel. Some people may never be able to go to the places where I have been. I think it’s [important] to capture the moment,” she said.

She talked about her recent South American tour when asked how it felt to perform for a crowd who spoke a different language.

“I think it’s more of a spiritual connection when you see people cry, you see people laugh. It’s all right if we don’t speak the same language because my music works that out for us,” she said.

While most artists speak of how demanding a tour can be, Miley has always talked about loving it. She said performing was always a childhood dream. She said she wanted to learn everything about the industry.

“I don’t get stressed out with work. Life, in general, is harder than what I do. There’s always gonna be times when people don’t understand you but I’m an artist. It’s our job to create what we love and what we want to say. When I’m working, I know that [the stress] is worth it. I work hard but I take breaks,” she said.

The singer-actress has been working hard to shed the bubblegum image of a tween having the best of both worlds. But behind the sexy new image is still the bubbly good girl most girls can relate to. She said her parents would still sit her down whenever she did something that disappointed them.

Cyrus first shot to international stardom as the title character in the hit Disney Channel series and movie “Hannah Montana”.

Her hit songs “Take Me Along”, “Simple Song” and “Party in the USA” went to the top of the billboard charts.

Born in 1992 to country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife, Tish Cyrus, she was christened Destiny Hope Cyrus. She legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus in 2008. With a report from Julie M. Aurelio