Justin Timberlake has defended Miley Cyrus after the singer was criticised for her performance at the MTV VMAs.

The 'We Can't Stop' star played live at the Brooklyn ceremony on Sunday (August 25), but her provocative dancing and gestures turned heads for the wrong reasons.

Speaking to 97.1 AMP Radio, Timberlake - who was the big winner at the VMAs - backed Cyrus, suggesting that the ceremony is traditionally a time for artists to go one further. He said:

"I'll go easy on Miley, man. She's declaring her womanhood. Let her do her thing, man... I don't have anything to say about that, but she got y'all's attention! This was not the Grammys, this was not the Oscars, this was the VMAs."

The 'Mirrors' man added: "This was where Madonna came out in a wedding dress and humped the stage. This is where Britney did the striptease. This is where you do it. What did you guys expect?!"