Miley Cyrus was the lowest paid cast member on Disney TV hit Hannah Montana - even though she was the star.

The pop singer made her breakthrough on the series, about a schoolgirl who has a secret life as a superstar, but admits she was never well paid at one point.

"I did not grow up spoiled in any way," Miley tells the new issue of Elle magazine. "I just wanted to be on TV... At one point - they'll probably kill me for saying it - I was probably the least-paid person on my cast, because I didn't know any better.

"I was just like, 'I can be on Disney! Yeah, I want to do it!'"

"My name was Miley on my show, but I didn't own my name," she adds. "We didn't think about that. Like, 'Yeah, you can use my name on your show, sure!' My mom started understanding how many people take advantage of a child, so she hired smart people to protect me in that way."

And she admits her mum's instincts and business savvy paid off in a big way: "I'm happy that when I was younger, people protected me and put me in a position where I can now control my music."

Meanwhile, Miley reveals her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who also appeared on Hannah Montana, has also become more business smart over the years.

"We have a huge farm in Nashville that he bought for nothing, and now it's, like, a music capital," she boasts.

Miley is now as happy as she's ever been - she has reunited with former fiance Liam Hemsworth, has a hit TV show in The Voice and her new Woody Allen series is getting positive feedback from the critics, but she does have one small regret - she's not closer with fellow former teen idol Britney Spears.

"(My manager) works with her; we've stayed close because of that," Miley says. "She's a little distant in her world... I'm not sure if Britney knows how to text. I think I've actually texted her twice."