Miley Ready to 'Breakout' After VF 'Mistake'

July 22, 2008— -- Teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus is stepping back into the spotlight, promoting her new album "Breakout" and calling the provocative photos of her published in June's Vanity Fair magazine a "mistake."

The revealing photos caused an uproar and threatened to tarnish the 15-year-old's squeaky-clean image when they were released back in April.

"I think I was just in a stage where I was just trying to get things done, and maybe look for an older audience. I was working with a big magazine just trying to go with what they were saying," Cyrus told "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts, speaking in an exclusive interview for the first time since the Vanity Fair photo shoot.

Cyrus described the ensuing criticism that she faced as a "hard time," and said she now "knows what it's like to have people talk about you like you're kind of iron."

"People need to remember that I am young and that I do have feelings, and I'll do the same thing for them."

"Anyone who was 15 years old can't say they haven't made a mistake. So I think it's just normal," she said.

Eager to move on from the controversy and promote her new album, the pop prodigy explained that she has now learned "to stay true to yourself," adding "I think it does make me more relatable [to my fans]."

Cyrus' comments come at a time when she is trying to emerge from the shadow of her Disney Channel alter-ego Hannah Montana and stake out an identity of her own. (Disney is the parent company of ABC News).

"I was like, 'OK, no one's gonna show up,'" Cyrus told Roberts, explaining her anxiety before performing for thousands of screaming fans in Bryant Park during "Good Morning America's" summer concert series last Friday.

For a star who took home $175 million from her last tour, it may sound hard to believe, but Cyrus explained she felt "really, really nervous" beforehand because the new album feels so much more personal.

"It's my breakout record ... To finally not be hiding behind a wig or a character. I'm like 'OK, this is really gonna hurt because these are songs that I've written that are really important to me and things that I want to say.' So that did make me nervous, but I'm really excited," she said.