Miley Cyrus was happily reunited with Liam Hemsworth when she released the love song, “Malibu,” in 2017. Now, on the song’s four-year anniversary in 2021, things look very different, as the pair ended their relationship nearly two years ago. However, Miley doesn’t look back on that time in a negative light. “Today is the 4 year anniversary of “Malibu,”” she wrote on Instagram. “A song about a place and person that at the time I loved very much. That love was reciprocated beyond what I could describe here with freedom & escapism.”
She also shared a behind the scenes video of herself recording “Malibu,” and reminisced about losing her home there in a 2018 wildfire. “I lost that home along with many others in 2018,” she explained. “Here is a video of me writing it in my home studio.” After losing their Malibu home to that fire, Miley and Liam leaned on each other, and even got married before the end of that year. Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived, and they divorced just eight months later.
However, when Miley wrote and recorded “Malibu”, she and the Australian actor were in the ultimate honeymoon phase of their romance. After breaking up in 2013, they rekindled their relationship at the beginning of 2016, and Miley sang about it on the summery track. “I never would have believed you if three years ago you told me I’d be here writing this song,” she crooned. “But here I am, next to you, the sky’s so blue, in Malibu.”
Now that it’s been nearly two years since the divorce, it’s clear that both Miley and Liam have moved on. She was in relationships with Kaitlynn Carter and Cody Simpson after the split, but hasn’t been romantically linked to anyone for nine months now. Meanwhile, Liam has been spending most of his time in Australia with his girlfriend, model Gabriella Brooks, these days.
While Liam doesn’t publicly talk about the breakup, Miley has been open about what went wrong on her end. In December, she explained that she rushed into marrying Liam as a way to “cling to what [she] had left” of her house in Malibu. “I really do and did love him very, very, very much,” she admitted. “And still do and always will.”