Miley and Madonna Team Up for Hoedown on 'MTV Unplugged'

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Image: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

By Brian Anthony Hernandez2014-01-29 15:48:18 UTC

Headline magnets Miley Cyrus and Madonna, donning Western-inspired getups, shared the stage this week for Cyrus' MTV Unplugged taping, which will air Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.

The two performed a mashup of Madonna's "Don't Tell Me" and Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" on Tuesday at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. In a video interview (see below), the 21-year-old pop star spoke about Madonna's influence, described their duet as a "hoedown" and discussed their similar philosophies as entertainers.

"A lot of what she represented for me is what I try to represent to girls now is not being afraid of sexuality and really being who you want to be and doing what you want to do," Cyrus said.

The pre-taped performance came just one day after Madonna graced the Grammy Awards stage, joining Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert during their performance of "Same Love" to infuse it with a bit of her "Open Your Heart." Nearly three dozen couples, both straight and gay, were married midway through the performance on live TV.

MTV Unplugged debuted in 1989 and has since featured stripped-down performances from such artists as Nirvana, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Adele and Florence and the Machine.

"The Unplugged stage has been home to some of the most iconic live performances of all time," Amy Doyle, MTV's EVP of music and talent programming strategy, said in a statement. "Miley’s vision for the performance is like nothing we’ve ever seen. I can say that this will easily be one of the most memorable Unplugged performances to date."

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