Miley Cyrus strips down to her lingerie as she announces new album while talking Dolly Parton and Gen Z beau

Miley Cyrus wore a shimmering gold leotard for the December/January cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine.

And inside the 32-year-old posed nearly nude, showing off her array of tattoos while in lingerie in images taken by photographer Ethan James Green. 

The superstar has a new album coming out called Something Beautiful as she told the publication her influences have been Joni Mitchell and Madonna, as well as her 26-year-old boyfriend Maxx Morando. She has been in the studio for the 'past six or seven months now' it was added by the fashion journal.

In her interview Miley also talks her wild past.

'Obviously, [being a child star] shaped me into a very different adult than some of my peers or my friends,' she shared. 'It is just a really different childhood to have. For a while, I thought it got in the way of me connecting with people.

'I feel like I can connect to people and I feel like I'm a friend to all. But because of how I've grown up, sometimes people make it harder. I can drop my persona really easily, but it's hard for other people to erase that part of you.'

She also made rare comments about her younger boyfriend Morando - she is 32, he is 26.

He is a producer and drummer who plays in the band Liily.

'He looks at life really differently than I do,' she said with admiration.

'He grew up with a laptop. I had a desktop computer that I shared with my brothers and sisters. … Honestly, he's raised our dog off Reddit. I'm like, Are you sure we're supposed to be doing this? And he's like, On Reddit it says blah, blah, blah.' 

She also explains their connection: 'He’s very similar to me. We just don’t take life too seriously.'

And now she and Maxx have worked on a song together; he helped her write Something Beautiful.

Turns out she is fine collaborating with those who are close to her: 'I worked with my dad forever. That’s how me and my ex-husband met each other. I’ve always worked with the people that I love. And Maxx just inspires me so much.'

One of her top mentors is Dolly Parton, whom she clearly admires.

'She lets everyone in and no one in at the same time,' Cyrus said.

'Everyone feels like they know her, but they're also okay with the fact that they don't see her without makeup, without the full drag.' 

Cyrus grew up on a farm outside of Nashville, then moved to Los Angeles with her family - her dad is country icon Billy Ray Cyrus - after being cast in Hannah Montana. 

Miley also credited her mother Tish with keeping her normal when she was making a fortune with Disney.

The teen wanted a fancy car and Tish said no way. 

'My mom said that I had to get a Nissan or Toyota just like my other siblings,' Cyrus shared.

'She was never afraid to take my cell phone away. Even when I paid my own cell-phone bill! 

'I would always go, like, Mom, that's for kids that don't pay their own cell-phone bill. And she's like, I don't care. You're not getting your phone.'

The magazine said: 'She's a free spirit and an old soul, a Disney Legend and a Grammy winner.

'But the one thing she's not interested in? Being predictable. 

'For our Art issue, Cyrus gets candid about everything from her creative process to her relationship to her new album.'