The 25-year-old singer-songwriter opened up to PEOPLE in a conversation about her new album, I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me, describing her career as a journey of self-rediscovery. “I’ve gone through so many versions of myself while growing up and changing,” Noah reflects. “But I made it out. I came through that darkness and landed in a really positive place.”

As the youngest member of the famously musical Cyrus family—which includes father Billy Ray Cyrus, global superstar sister Miley, DJ sister Brandi, former Metro Station guitarist brother Trace, and Nashville-based singer Braison—music was both her inheritance and her lifeline. “Music runs deep on my dad’s side. It’s in our blood; it’s what binds us together,” she says. That connection became her anchor during years spent struggling with addiction and mental health issues.

Noah admits that touring while battling severe depression and anxiety took a heavy toll. “It was impossible to juggle it all when I wasn’t taking care of myself or committing to the therapy I needed,” she confesses. Now, she emphasizes the importance of seeking help. “I encourage anyone who’s struggling to talk about it—when they’re ready. That feeling of not wanting to be alive… I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

After a Xanax addiction nearly ended her career in 2020, Noah found the strength to get sober. She credits her healing to music and the support of her fiancé, fashion designer Pinkus, whom she got engaged to in 2023. “Our relationship is a true partnership,” she shares. “It’s private, but it inspired songs like ‘I Saw the Mountains’—that hope and excitement about building a life with someone.”

This new sense of purpose has reshaped her outlook. “More than anything, I want to be a mom. It’s my biggest goal. For the first time, I feel truly connected to life and excited about the future,” Noah says.

With her new album released and a tour starting September 12, Noah is stepping firmly into a new chapter. “I’m in the strongest, most secure place I’ve been in a very long time. This album played a huge part in getting me here.”

She also addressed recent family developments—including her dad’s divorce from mom Tish Cyrus and Tish’s subsequent marriage to Dominic Purcell—with grace and clarity. “I stay separate from any family ‘drama.’ What connects us is music; that’s what matters,” Noah stated. “It can be draining, but it doesn’t really touch us. We’re a family, just working through normal family things like everyone else.”

She concluded on a positive note: “Everybody’s doing great. We all love each other. When you grow up with your life being public, you learn not to let outside noise reach you.”