She's been the subject of media and fan scrutiny for awhile now, from her tumultuous relationship with Liam Hemsworth to her new hair and image overhaul, shedding her Disney skin for a more free and adult version of herself. Now Miley Cyrus opens up in a new interview about new music, twerking onstage and how others perceive her, and according to Cyrus, they're mostly wrong.

"People have this misconception of me that I'm just one of these kids on TV and that now I go off and party and I'm just this ratchet white girl, and I'm not," Cyrus told the Notion magazine. "I work really really hard, I'm just in a different environment. I'm young and living and in LA which is everyone's dream, you know."

A former child star, Cyrus got her big break when she landed the role of Hanna Montana on the insanely successful Disney show and franchise. Revered by young girls everywhere, she became a role model and tween icon, but now those days are over, and Cyrus is targeting a new group of fans, and her first single off of her forthcoming album (the first after leaving Disney's Hollywood Records) has become a radio smash.

"We Can't Stop" broke Justin Bieber's Vevo record, and while the video has received its share of controversy, for the second single Cyrus has released since 2008, her success is remarkable, in part due to her new image of a free-spirited, sexy young woman who doesn't care what you think of her, though she's eager to release new music.

"I was thinking about dropping the Cyrus and just being Miley, but there's something powerful about the fact that my name now is like a household name," Cyrus revealed of her surname. Indeed, Miley Cyrus has become notorious in the industry, collaborating with the likes of Pharrell, Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg), will.i.am and Hit Boy, among others.

Cyrus's next single "23," featuring Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J, will drop Aug. 26. A few lucky fans have already had the chance to listen to her new album at exclusive listening parties, but when will the rest of us get to hear her new music?

"We could just leak it. That's what I'm always trying to do," Cyrus admitted to 4Music recently. "I scare my label all the time, because I just want my whole record out right now. I'm ready for people to hear it. I'm keeping some of the collabs on the down-low. That's what was so surprising when 'We Can't Stop' came out - people weren't ready for it, so I want it to be like that."

The name for the new album has yet to be confirmed, as Cyrus is waiting until she reaches 30 million Twitter followers to release the title. There's no word yet on the album release date, but fans expect it to hit stores sometime this year, and for those who have already heard it, apparently there are some stand-out tracks.

Click here to see photos from Miley Cyrus's sexy new photosoot for Notion magazine.