Miley Cyrus: The new Madonna?

We thought Miley Cyrus’ MTV VMAs drama felt familiar.

The 21-year-old singer has recruited Madonna for her «MTV Unplugged» special, and the star admits that she takes some inspirational cues from Madonna.

«I grew up listening to Madonna, and a lot of what she represented for me is what I try to represent to girls now, not being afraid of sexuality and being who you want to be and doing what you want to do,» Cyrus told MTV, which will air her «Unplugged» special tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

During Cyrus’ set, the two pop stars collaborate on a mashup of Madge’s «Don’t Tell Me» and Cyrus’ No. 1 hit, «We Can’t Stop.» According to MTV, we can expect plenty of Madonna-on-Miley grinding – which, given her reason for having Madonna on in the first place, makes sense.

«‘Don’t Tell Me’ is basically the same message that I’m telling my fans with ‘We Can’t Stop,'» Cyrus said. «I feel like ‘We Can’t Stop’ is the 2013 version of ‘Don’t Tell Me.’ … She understood why that was important for a lot of our fans, especially those that are young, who are trying to figure out their freedom. I really wanted her here because I wanted that energy … she’s so about making a statement.»