Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Her New Song for Avatar: Fire and Ash — and Her Very Unexpected Phobia

Miley Cyrus stopped by the show for a lively, candid, and often hilarious conversation about her new song “Dream as One,” which appears in the upcoming film Avatar: Fire and Ash. But before the two even got to the music, Miley revealed something surprising: she has a genuine phobia of paper.

“Paper Makes Me Want to Vomit”

The moment Miley sat down, she admitted she has a long-standing issue with paper — especially dry paper.

She explained that the sound and texture of paper, particularly when handled by people with dry hands during the cold holiday season, makes her extremely uncomfortable. Gift wrap, cardboard boxes, even heartfelt handwritten letters — all of them trigger the same reaction.

Text messages? Fine. Emails? Perfect. Anything digital? Ideal.

But paper?
“Nope,” she joked. “I can’t even talk about it without getting uncomfortable.”

She added that her family used to tease her about it when she was young, which may have made the phobia worse. Now, even opening a package is difficult, and she often asks her fiancé to help by opening boxes outside.

Miley shared that she’s considering treatment or therapy for it, because it’s started affecting day-to-day life.

Her Engagement and Christmas Gifts

Miley also talked about her recent engagement and laughed about the timing — acknowledging that her fiancé unintentionally set himself up to skip having to find a Christmas present only a few weeks later.

When asked what someone is supposed to get Miley Cyrus for Christmas, she admitted she’s not big on the holiday for one simple reason:
“All the paper.”

She prefers reusable gift bags, fabric wrapping, and silk stockings — anything that avoids dryness or the texture of typical wrapping paper.

Back to Pandora: Writing “Dream as One”

Once the two shifted to Avatar: Fire and Ash, Miley told the story of how she ended up writing the film’s end-credits song.

Director James Cameron, known for long development timelines, realized only a couple months before release that he didn’t have a song. Miley had previously told him to reach out if he ever needed music, and this time, he actually did.

The title “Dream as One,” she explained, felt large, global, and emotional — fitting for Avatar, which reaches audiences around the world. But instead of trying to match the movie’s enormous scale, she decided to take the opposite approach:

She wrote something intimate, personal, and heart-centered, which she believes aligns with the emotional core of James Cameron’s films.

Miley also revealed she recorded the vocals while the movie played in the studio, projected across the walls. Being surrounded by Pandora’s landscapes and colors helped her connect deeply with the tone and atmosphere.

Her Creative Conversations With James Cameron

She talked about how she would call Cameron for what she thought would be short, focused discussions — only for them to last hours. Their conversations often went beyond music and into life, emotion, creativity, and imagination.

Getting to understand his heart, she said, made the songwriting process smoother.

Would Miley Ever Make a Christmas Album?

Surprisingly, she has written a Christmas song before, though she joked that it didn’t exactly become a seasonal classic. It was emotional, introspective, and—by her own description—“niche.”

While she’s open to creating a more upbeat holiday song one day, she acknowledged that festive, joyful Christmas music is more popular than melancholy versions.

Her Pick for the Greatest Movie Song

When asked to name the best original song ever written for a film, Miley chose “I Will Always Love You” — originally written by Dolly Parton but made iconic on film by Whitney Houston. She explained that she loves when a movie and a song become inseparable in people’s minds.

What’s Next

Miley ended the segment by inviting fans to listen to “Dream as One,” which is now available across platforms. Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives in theaters on December 19.

The interview was a mix of humor, honesty, creativity, and classic Miley charm — leaving fans both laughing and excited for her newest musical chapter.