Sarah McLachlan on Miley Cyrus: 'I Feel Really Bad for Her'

Grammy winner Sarah McLachlan believes Miley Cyrus deserves a break from public criticism of her recent behavior. After all, she's only 17.

"Do you remember what you were doing when you were 17?" McLachlan told Parade.com. "In a way, I feel really bad for her. She can't just be a stupid teenager, because everything she does is so scrutinized. ...Really, ultimately, I feel bad that she has to grow up in the spotlight the way she is, that she can't just go off and do some stupid things and no one would know about it. Now everybody knows about it."

The Lilith Fair founder and mother of two says that Cyrus' rebellious behavior isn't any different from that of other teenagers -- she just happens to be growing up in a very public way. "She's been a good girl for so long and she's rebelling now," McLachlan added. "You know what, she's got a lot of talent. So, there's going to be some pissed off people and some upset kids, and probably some even more upset parents. But it's kind of a natural progression that she does this. I'm sure she's a good kid at heart."

Cyrus is just one of a number of performers currently causing a stir. And, for artists like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, it's means of self-promotion that McLachlan thinks is praise-worthy. "In a way, I applaud them," she revealed. "I find it very entertaining to watch. Is Madonna a great singer? No. Is Madonna a marginally OK singer? Yes. But she's a great showperson. It's about a whole bunch of things. Both Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, they write their own stuff and they're quite talented. They have talent behind them. So yes, they're using all sorts of different means to promote themselves. But I say more power to them."

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