Earlier this month, Miley Cyrus launched her Happy Hippie Foundation's Backyard Sessions. The charity seeks to help issues affecting homeless youth, LGBT youth and other vulnerable populations. The sessions feature Cyrus teaming with another artist for a special performance straight from the Bangerz singer's backyard. So far she's performed "Different" with Joan Jett, a solo cover of Dido's "No Freedom" in honor of late transgender teen Leelah Alcorn, a cover of The Replacements' "Androgynous" and cover of Against Me!'s "True Trans Soul Rebel" with Laura Jane Grace, and covers of "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" and "Peace Will Come" with folk icon Melanie Safka. Now she's teamed up with fellow Disney alum Ariana Grande to perform a rendition of Crowded House's 1986 hit "Don't Dream It's Over."
With Cyrus dressed in a unicorn onesie and Grande in a "bear-mouse" onesie, the two pop stars sang the tune while sitting on a green blow-up couch.
Happy Hippie Presents: Backyard Sessions - "Don't Dream It's Over" featuring Ariana GrandeSoooooo thankful for Ariana Grande for being a part of the #backyardsessions!! You're the sweetest little #happyhippie bear-mouse ever! Loooooove you The Happy Hippie Foundation #HappyHippiePresents #dontdreamitsover
Posted by Miley Cyrus on Thursday, May 14, 2015
The 22-year-old recently shared an essay in which she explained that the suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn led her to want to take action.
"It hit me as hard as if I had known her," Cyrus wrote in the essay for Medium. "I felt connected to her. For a year, my focus has been on helping homeless youth, and it was heartbreaking to hear that 40 percent of homeless teens identify as LGBT. The more I learned about what life can be like as a transgender person, the more I realized how especially woven into homelessness that is. Acceptance is a huge step towards eradicating youth homelessness. Being who you are and who you want to be has nothing to do with gender, sexuality, body type, race, or age."
She added that the goal of her Happy Hippie Foundation is "encouraging people to be the artists of a picture of true freedom, freedom of self-expression...freedom to be true to themselves. The fight to be free isn't over. We have to rally together and fight injustice. Being a happy hippie means making others happy, even those unlike yourself!"
Read the full essay here.
