Miley Cyrus gave a moving performance on The Tonight Show Monday night in honor of those affected by Sunday’s Las Vegas shooting. Accompanied by Adam Sandler, the singer performed Dido’s “No Freedom” to send a powerful message to those grieving around the world.
Miley later sat down with host Jimmy Fallon to explain the meaning behind her song choice, which she’s also sung for The Happy Hippie Foundation.
“I love that there is no love without freedom,” she said. “And I think about that when these tragic events happen. What is music if we can’t go see our favorite artist perform because we’re scared of violence or we’re scared of losing someone that we love to go to a concert or to go see a film? And I think that right now, we’re supposed to be the land of the free, but we can’t have freedom if we’re constantly living in fear so I think never bow down to bullies—that’s what my parents always said—and to stand up for what’s right, and I think just constantly share hope instead of encouraging any more fear.”
Cyrus closed the show with her 2009 hit “The Climb,” a song she hasn’t performed in over five years, Cosmopolitan reports.
“I’m doing ‘The Climb’ because it says ‘the struggles I’m facing/the chances I’m taking/they sometimes might knock me down but I’m not breaking/You may not know it, but these are the moments that we’re going to remember most.’ The moments we’re going to remember most aren’t being pulled apart by evil, but coming together through love, you know and all of us uniting and really believing,” she told Fallon.
Miley poured her heart into these performances, and she’s just one of the many celebrities who are showing their support during this tragic time.