Miley speaks on Liam Hemsworth breakup



Now that she's no longer engaged, Miley Cyrus is basking in her freedom.

The 20-year-old spoke frankly about her split from actor Liam Hemsworth on "Ellen" Thursday, and from the sound of it, the "Wrecking Ball" singer has few, if any, regrets. Host Ellen DeGeneres, on the other hand, might have a tiny one:"The last time you were here, I threw you an engagement party," DeGeneres jokingly told Cyrus, adding, "I want my money back."

Cyrus gamely opened up on the recent breakup, saying "it's not really awkward" to be moving forward with her new album in the midst of upheaval in her personal life.

"I think people spend more time actually thinking about it than I really do," she said. "I just believe that when a chapter is done you have to close it and start that new one, and that's kind of where I am right now. I felt like I have so much to be thankful for that my energy hasn't really been focused on that."

Yet if you listen to her new album, "Bangerz," you'll find that Cyrus has been pouring a lot of her thoughts and emotions on that past relationship into her music.

"The whole album is a story of that, starting with 'Adore You' and ending with 'Someone Else,'" she told DeGeneres. "I didn't even know how much (until I listened to a physical copy) ... this really is telling a story. I think I knew more intuitively where my life was going than I actually thought I did at the time."

Cyrus and Hemsworth dated on-and-off after they met on the set of their 2010 movie, "The Last Song." In June 2012, Cyrus and Hemsworth revealed that they were engaged, but in the year that followed Cyrus not only shed her "Hannah Montana" image, but she seemed to shed their romance, too. By the time they confirmed the wedding was off in September, the news followed months of rumors that their relationship had turned rocky.

In its aftermath, Cyrus has been laser-focused on her music, but the outcome has been worth it. Finally, the singer/actress said, she's learned to be content with just herself.

"For me, I haven't really gotten to see anyone right now because I've been so crazy busy. I've just been letting that chapter kind of close and just looking forward to that new one," she said. "I want to be really clear and determined with everything that I'm doing in my life right now, and I have been. I keep saying I'm the happiest I've ever been, and that's not even a dig, that's just because I really am genuinely happy, finally, with myself."

The single life has given the star another added bonus: the luxury of a few extra minutes of free time, which she's been using to soak up inspiration from those around her.

"Sometimes it takes you separating yourself from someone else to really be happy with who you are," Cyrus said. "I've never been able just to be alone, and (now) I'm obsessed with being alone. I've asked everyone that is around me, give me a list of your favorite movies, your favorite books, your favorite artists, just so I can know more about the few people that I do have in my life, and really know about them and really see what they're inspired by. ... I'm trying to take this alone time to learn as much as I can."