Miley Cyrus defends shows and cries at Vegas festival

Miley Cyrus has defended recent controversial performances during a show at the iHeartRadio Festival.

The 20-year-old sang at the Las Vegas event on Saturday (21 September) night in a revealing fishnet dress.

She twerked on stage alongside dwarves and used a banana shaped microphone during the show.

The singer then started to cry as she sang her most recent single Wrecking Ball.

The former Hannah Montana star also performed on an outdoor stage at the festival during the afternoon.

Defending recent shows, Cyrus said she knows "things I'm doing that's getting me into trouble and it's just me doing what my heart and soul is telling me what to do."

She thanked fans for helping Wrecking Ball top the US Billboard chart, saying: "I couldn't have done it without all you guys."

The video for the track broke the record for the most Vevo views in 24 hours when it was released earlier this month.

Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and Drake were among the other performers at the event.

'Be who you are'

In a recent interview with French radio station NRJ, the singer said: "I'm on such a platform where I can speak to so many people and I think it's important to send a message to my audience.

"Be who you are, do what you do, be who you want to be, live your life and don't worry about what people have to say about it."

She added: "I feel like the best way of fighting my haters is just keep letting them do what they do and don't let them faze you, just keep doing what you do. Success is the best form of revenge."

Britney Spears, who introduced Cyrus on stage on Saturday evening, recently backed Miley's performances.

"She (Miley Cyrus) is on fire right now, she is on fire, she's just a ball full of energy," she said.

Spears, 31, has worked on a song that will appear on Cyrus' new album, Bangerz, which is scheduled for release early next month.

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