Rufus Wainwright On Miley Cyrus and Madonna Duet: 'Horrifying'

Rufus Wainwright was recently asked what he thought of Miley Cyrus in an interview, so he referenced her duet with Madonna calling it "horrifying."

Wainwright is a Grammy Award nominee and has been highly recognized for his music throughout his career. He has been hailed on many lists cataloging influential musicians, including "25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever."

"Well, what can I say? She's a pretty good singer," Wainwright admitted. "One of the most horrifying things I've seen in my life was her and Madonna singing together at the end of her Unplugged show. It was really, I don't know, the overtones were way undertoned (laughs). I just need a little bit more in my life than that."

Cyrus and Madonna performed the duet in question at an MTV "Unplugged" show in 2013, where the two donned country-themed garb compete with bedazzled cowboy hats. They chose the songs "We Can't Stop" and "Don't Tell Me" for the collaboration. Cyrus and Madonna line danced to the music and Cyrus spanked her pop music predecessor, later tweeting: "I SPANKED @MADONNA (hard) (& she liked it)."

Wainwright also minced no words when asked who he would have to work with to create constant string of No. 1 hits as often as Pitbull does. Wainwright laughingly responded, "I have no idea. I'm at the Faustian bargain point in my life, where I just have to sell my soul in order to get to the top of the charts. I don't know, the Devil?"

Wainwright's best-of album, Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright, is available for purchase now. It includes hits like "Hallelujah" and "Going to a Town." Wainwright has released seven studio albums. He is also working on composing an opera, which he expects to be completed in 2018. The full transcript of Wainwright's interview with the Guardian can be found here.

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Rufus Wainwright, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Pitbull