Billy Ray Cyrus on his daughter: 'That's still my Miley'

She might have had the world talking after her controversial appearance at MTV's Video Music Awards last month, but to at least one person, Miley Cyrus is still just who she is.

"She's just Miley," her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, told CNN's "Piers Morgan Live."

"She's an artist. She's real. I think that what's happened over the years, Miley has been reinventing her sound. She's evolving as an artist herself. I think that all of what everyone is calling controversy now, that's still my Miley," he said.

Billy Ray Cyrus spoke at length Thursday night about his daughter's performance at the VMAs.

The performance was a far cry from her Disney days as "Hannah Montana."

Billy Ray Cyrus said he had known his daughter planned to do "something really special" at the VMAs to get everyone talking.

"Miley's smart enough to know that to come out of the shadows of 'Hannah Montana,' it really takes something extremely drastic, which when you go to that level, it creates passion, and passion is either love or hate. But there's no middle of the road for passion," he said, adding that the performance pushed his daughter to new heights.

"She has risen to a whole new level. I thought I had seen it all -- until these last couple of weeks," he told CNN's Morgan.

Miley Cyrus: Endearing Elegance at 2011 MTV VMAs

August 29, 2011, (Sawf News) - Miley Cyrus delighted in a floor length Roberto Cavalli grey and black print gown at the 2011 MTV VMAs at Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles on Sunday, August 28.

The 18-year-old actress/singer's long sleeved and back baring number was from the designer's Pre-Fall 2011 collection.

The mixed print fitted gown had gold accented animal print on bodice and sleeves and floral print on skirt featuring a short train.

She accessorized with Azzedine Alaia heels and Lorraine Schwartz jewels - necklace adorning her back, three drop earrings and a statement ring on her right hand index finger.

Her hair was styled in an updo with a teased top. She wore cat eyeliner, long fanned lashes and nude lipgloss.

"I'm on my way to the VMAs :) Keep screamin xxxxx," Miley tweeted before the show.

Miley and pro snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White presented the Best Rock Video to the Foo Fighters.

Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber Get Racy At The VMAs

Where’s Chris Hansen when you need him?!?

Teen singer Justin Bieber and his Disney star girlfriend, Selena Gomez, got a little racy on the black carpet at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards last night!

Apparently, he was joking about his “snake” while she interviewed him. Uh oh, his snake?!? He’s 17-years-old, no one wants to hear about his underage snake.

MTV hired Selena as part of their reporting team and she was tasked with talking to her boyfriend! Calling him the “one and only”, she asked Justin what he was wearing. He replied, “I have a snake….” This prompted her to respond, laughing. She said, “Stop, I know!”

Then, she asked, “What’s your snake’s name?” He replied, “My snake’s name is Johnson”, all the while he was trying to keep a straight face. Ha. Kudos to him for pulling off a funny joke, even though no one should be thinking about his snake or his Johnson.

After the jokes, they kissed. Funny or creepy? What do you think? Aside from that, doesn’t Selena look adorable in that outfit? Did you watch the VMAs last night?