Miley Cyrus Debuts Her Breakup Ink at MTV VMAs 2019

Monday night, Miley Cyrus, 26, brought attention to her new tattoo, which seems to reference her relationship with ex Liam Hemsworth.

For her performance of her new song “Slide Away” at the 2019 MTV VMAs, Miley wore a little black dress that showed off new ink on her left bicep.

The tattoo, by celebrity artist Winter Stone, reads, “My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free,” a lyric from the Pixies song “The Thing.”

The lyric is in lowercase and broken up into four lines.

According to Stone's rep, Cyrus also got a new “1961” tattoo on her left hand, which was not fully visible, due to her jewelry. It is most likely a tribute to her father Billy Ray Cyrus, who was born that year.

Monday night was the first time that Miley performed her new single, which was released a week before Liam filed divorce papers.

The song references their Malibu home being lost in the wildfires last year. She sings, “Once upon a time it was made for us, woke up one day and it turned to dust. Baby, we were found, but now we're lost. So it's time to let it go.”

In the song, Cyrus appears to discuss their future without each other, singing, “So won't you slide away? Back to the ocean, I'll go back to the city lights.” Liam grew up in Australia and loves spending time surfing, while Miley grew up with the city lights of Los Angeles.

Miley also seems to sing about how things have changed since she met him at age 17 on the set of “The Last Song.” She sings, “Move on, we're not 17, I'm not who I used to be. You say that everything's changed — you're right, we're grown now.”

After the star-studded show, Miley was spotted holding hands with Kaitlynn Carter, who she has been seen with several times following her breakup with Liam. They were heading to Up and Down nightclub for the after-party.

A source recently told People magazine, “Miley is very close with Kaitlynn. It's romantic, but also a friendship. They are both going through similar stuff right now and are bonding over it.”

Earlier this month, they sparked romance rumors when they were seen kissing as they soaked up the sun in their bikinis at the Il Sereno hotel in Lake Como. After the pictures surfaced, Miley's rep released a statement, saying, “Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time. Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what's best while they both focus on themselves and careers. They still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy."