Billy Ray Cyrus, ‘Chicago': Country Crooner ‘Nervous’ for Broadway Debut

Billy Ray Cyrus will take his first bow on Broadway next week. The "Change My Mind" singer is set to make his Great White Way debut in the long-running musical, "Chicago," from Nov. 5 through Dec. 23. Billy Ray has scored the male lead role of Billy Fynn, a suave, manipulative lawyer. Though the musician has a long list of acting credits to his name, this character, and especially the rush that comes with acting live on such a famous stage, are "a whole new ball game," he concedes.

"I've been preparing for quite some time, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous .... OK, a lot nervous," he tells The Boot with a laugh. "Last night, I was so tired -- I'd done interviews all day, but trust me, I ended my night studying that script and singing those songs. I'm really excited about getting up to New York City and living there. I've never lived in New York City, let alone step out on Broadway and pretend that I was Billy Flynn! It's going to be so fun."

With as much as he has going on in his personal and professional lives, the latter of which includes a hectic media tour in support of his new album, Change My Mind, Billy Ray has to be picky about what projects he tackles. But when he got the call to do "Chicago," it was an easy decision, as he was already a huge fan of the production.

"I love everything about it. The music in itself has the roots of some of the common elements of my music where I come from -- banjo, fiddle ... And that musical bed is with some really brilliant lyrics. As an actor and a singer-songwriter, this was a great opportunity to learn something new and evolve my career."

Billy Ray will add yet another accomplishment to his resume when his biography, "Hillbilly Heart," is released in the spring.