Miley Cyrus shocked by album hype

Rex Features

Miley Cyrus has admitted that she is surprised by the interest surrounding her new album Breakout.

The singer was stunned when thousands of fans turned up to see her play a free concert to promote the disc last week.

As Breakout is the first Cyrus album which has no connection to her hit Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, she had expected the New York gig to attract little interest.

"I was extremely nervous until today, and now I'm like so excited," Cyrus told WENN. "Everyone actually showed up. I was like, 'OK, there are going to be two people, and they're going to be paparazzi.'"

The album release follows the recent controversy over Cyrus's topless Vanity Fair shoot.