Transforming from an adored child star to a fierce fashionista and musician, Miley Cyrus has come a little way and has changed so drastically that people compare her to Nicki Minaj.

The outspoken singer, 20, has assumed control over her sound and image, serving up more sex and skin. In fact, Cyrus' new 2.0 public persona is so daring that she can mix a "hip-hop edge with country twang," and command attention without being a rapper like the Young Money MC, according to Billboard.

"A lot of people wanted to try to make me the White Nicki Minaj, " the Twerk queen said. "That's not what I'm trying to do. I love 'hood' music, but my talent is as a singer."

Confidence is a trait that the evolved singer has in spades, speaking openly about everything from her dislike of people making puns out of her song titles to vocalizing exactly what angles are best when she's shot on camera. In a music industry where artists can be carbon copies of one another, Cyrus stands out in a big way.

For one, she is not afraid to throw away the rule book while still keeping it down to earth, funny and professional. Specifically, she can admit and embrace that she has changed tremendously from her "Hannah Montana" Disney darling days.

"Right now, when people go to iTunes and listen to my old music, it's so irritating to me because I can't just erase that stuff and start over," she explained. "My last record [2009's 'Can't be Tamed'] I feel so disconnected from - I was 16 or 17 when I made it. When you're in your 20's, you just don't really know that person anymore."

Simply put in her own words, she is "starting as a new artist and considers her upcoming album to be her first, really."

Perhaps her uniqueness is why she is one of today's most sought after global brands, getting down and risque in talking about one of her crazy experiences to the tune of drugs and strip club references on her new hit single, "We Can't Stop."

"I didn't make this song for critics, but for the people living it," she said. "I'm 20 years old and I want to talk to the people up all night with their friends. It's based on a true story of a crazy night I had. When I heard the song for the first time, it captured exactly how I was living."

And if you're expecting for her to drop some bars, think again.

"I've always wanted country rock influences, but now I'm moving over to a more urban side," she further explained. "It's not a hip-hop album, though-its' a pop album. I'm not coming in trying to rap."

She refers to the music as "count-step," being a melting pot of country, dubstep and "a little trap."

To add some heat to her upcoming record, the singer called on her friend and Neptunes producer, Pharell, who noted how free-spirited the singer is in everyday life.

"He said, 'That's why I love you: you're just wild and free, and I want to capture that," she said.