"I don't pay attention to the negative," Cyrus said about the controversy in an interview with MTV . "How many times have you seen this play out in pop music?"

Cyrus' gyrating generated a maelstrom of reactions from critics and fans alike, not only for her lewd foam-fingered gestures, but for her appropriation of black culture.

"You know now � you know what happens. Madonna's done it, Britney [Spears'] has done it � anyone that performs, that's what you're looking for, you're wanting to make history. Me and Robin [Thicke] the whole time said, 'You know we're about to make history.'"