Billy Ray Cyrus Says 'There's No Hard Feelings' Within His Family Over Firerose Engagement

Billy Ray Cyrus says his family was prepared to see him enter a new relationship.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer, 61, says "there's no hard feelings" within his family regarding his engagement to fiancée Firerose.

"Everyone knew that that relationship was over a long time ago," Billy Ray tells PEOPLE, referring to his prior marriage to ex-wife Tish Cyrus. "Everybody's turning the page."

"It's been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change," he adds.

Billy Ray is a dad to son Christopher Cody (with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey), 30, and shares daughters Miley, 29, Brandi, 35, and Noah, 22, plus sons Trace, 33, and Braison, 28, with Tish, 55.

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Billy Ray and Firerose, 34, first met 12 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, where the former Disney Channel actor would take breaks on the lot with his late German Shepard Tex.

The two kept in touch, with the Australian singer calling their friendship "so solid over the years." They then exclusively shared the news of their August engagement with PEOPLE earlier this week.

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Opening up about her stunning new bling and the intimate, "beautiful moment" behind it, Firerose told PEOPLE, "It was really just this moment where Billy looked at me and said 'Do you wanna marry me?' He didn't get down on one knee or anything. He said, 'I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.' "

Billy Ray then took their relationship to the next level with an 18k white gold engagement ring, which features a round brilliant cut diamond with a center stone, held by a 4 prong V Head Center diamond accented with additional round diamonds.

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Moving on after he and Tish finalized their divorce "took a lot of prayer. A lot," said Cyrus, who later asked Firerose if they could be more than friends.

"There was sickness and death, and hard times," Cyrus explained of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. "All of the sudden, the life that I've always known as a touring artist didn't exist anymore. A moment of so much change. And at the same time, Firerose, who had been such a light of positivity, such a best friend. And then when we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn't know could exist. Again, we're musicians, first and foremost, both of us. And we found this harmony, and this rhythm, this melody to life."