How Finding a Diamond in the Wreckage of Her Home Post-Wildfire Led to Miley Cyrus’ ‘Avatar’ Song

Miley Cyrus may not be blue or speak Na’vi, but she still related deeply to the characters in James Cameron’s long awaited Avatar sequel.

And in a raw interview with ABC News’ 20/20 for a special about the making of Avatar: Fire and Ash — a clip of which Billboard is exclusively premiering Friday (Dec. 12) — the pop star opens up about how losing her Malibu home to the devastating California wildfires of 2018 inspired the original song she wrote for the franchise, “Dream as One.” “When I lost my home, I went back to see if anything had survived,” Cyrus recalled.

“And underneath all the ash, I just saw a little sparkling stone, and it was a diamond from a piece of jewelry,” she continued. “Something like a diamond, it’s beautiful, but it’s strong, and so it can withstand that kind of heat. That’s how diamonds are created. Sometimes, that’s what it takes to create something beautiful.”

The moment from years ago would inspire lyrics on “Dream as One,” including, “We’re diamonds in the dark/ I put my head against your chest/ And listen to your heart.”

“She screened the film, and she related to the loss part of it,” Cameron added in the clip from the special, which also features interviews with Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet and Oona Chaplin. “She saw fire representing loss and trauma — it was very traumatic for her to lose all of her possessions.”

Cyrus has long been open about how much the 2018 disaster impacted her. At the time, she posted that the house she shared with then-husband Liam Hemsworth had been completely obliterated, though all of her animals were safely evacuated.

When it was first announced that she’d be contributing an original song to the Avatar sequel, she wrote in a statement, “Having been personally affected by fire and being rebuilt from the ashes, this project holds profound meaning for me … The film’s themes of unity, healing, and love resonate deeply within my soul, and to be even a small star in the universe the Avatar family has created is truly a dream come true.”

In the 20/20 special, Cyrus explained that she wanted “Dream as One” to feel like a “deep exhale, like a relief: ‘We’ve made it.’”

“Everything burning down and then rebuilding,” she added. “By picking every piece brick by brick, [you find] what is still meaningful and what matters.”

Avatar: A New Era – A Special Edition of 20/20 will premiere on ABC News at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 12, and is available to stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+. The film is set to premiere in theaters on Dec. 19.

Watch Billboard‘s exclusive clip of Miley Cyrus and James Cameron discussing her new song for Avatar below: