How Miley Cyrus Inspired Paris Hilton to Make Another Album After 18 Years (Exclusive)

Hilton opens up to PEOPLE about the creative process behind her new album, ‘Infinite Icon,’ out now

Paris Hilton’s new album may not have come to fruition if it weren’t for Miley Cyrus.

The businesswoman and musician, 43, released her second album, Infinite Icon, on Sept. 6 — more than 18 years after her 2006 debut, Paris, which spawned her signature hit, “Stars Are Blind.”

“I’ve always loved music. It’s always been such a huge passion of mine,” Hilton tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “But in those years since my first album, I have just been busy building my empire and working on the million projects I’m doing in all my different businesses.”

One call, however, ultimately led the Simple Life star back into the studio. “When Miley asked me to come on New Year’s Eve to surprise everyone and sing ‘Stars Are Blind’ with her and Sia, so magical being on stage and feeling those pop star vibes,” she recalls of performing on Cyrus’ NBC special celebrating the start of 2023.

The following day, Hilton flew back to Los Angeles with Sia, 48, and had an enlightening conversation.

“She looked at me and said, ‘You were incredible last night. You were born to be a pop star. Why have you not released another album?'” recalls Hilton, noting that she explained her busy schedule to the “Chandelier” hitmaker, who then offered to make an album with her. “I was like, ‘Hell yes.'”

Sia, who executive produced Infinite Icon, quickly sent Hilton “60 songs that she’d written” and wanted her to check out.

The first one the mother of two recorded was “Adored,” a romantic pop track that concludes the new album. The experience, Hilton says, “made me realize just how much I miss doing music.”

Hilton then instructed her team to make music her main career priority and spent the next year and a half crafting the album — which features collaborations with Sia, Meghan Trainor, Rina Sawayama and Maria Becerra.

“I’m just so grateful that I said yes to Miley that night to do ‘Stars Are Blind’ because that really just started me on this whole journey to do this second album,” she says. “I couldn’t be prouder of how it all turned out.”