Miley Cyrus took the stage at the Teen Choice Awards last August 10 and performed the song “Part in the USA” with a stripper pole and some sexy clothes. Of course, the 16-year-old singer garnered criticism about her performance. Now, Billy Ray Cyrus is defending his daughter.

Billy Ray told Access Hollywood, “You know what? I just think that Miley loves entertaining people. She loves singing [and] songwriting.” He added, “I always tell her to love what you’re doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion.”

UsMagazine.com also caught Billy Ray Cyrus and was able to seek a few comments, noting that he doesn’t inhibit his kids’ creative and artistic expressions, saying “I give my kids a lot of freedom to make the art they wanna make, and make it in their own voice. I think it’s important.”

After the controversial performance, Disney made a statement, saying “Disney Channel won’t be commenting on that performance, although parents can rest assured that all content presented on the Disney Channel is age-appropriate for our audience — kids 6-14 — and consistent with what our brand values are.”