Miley Cyrus' space-age avatar sparks Instagram meltdown: 'Legend is back'

It's that time of the year again when your favourite pop-stars and performers take to the stage to belt out some chart-topping numbers at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.

Ahead of the annual music awards show on 27 August, however, singer Miley Cyrus treated her fans to a cryptic post confirming her performance at this year's VMAs. Dressed as an uber glamorous space-age diva, the songstress sent her fans wild with guesses as to what her picture-post is about.

"Yaaaaas I'll be performing @vmas !!!!" she simply captioned the picture that showed her in a vibrant setting complete with colour-play and bubbles.

Adding to the mystery, Miley even sported a bedazzled expression in the photo.

Since being shared on Instagram, the fascinating snap has received thousands of likes and several curious questions in the comments section.

While many fans assumed that the picture could be a hint on Miley's upcoming album or song, some were just thrilled to see their favourite's spacesuit looks.

"I cannot beleive how magical this picture is!!!!" one enthusiastic user commented on the picture, echoing the general feeling of intrigue. "Legend is back," someone else shared.

"Space just got lit," said an admirer, as another follower of the 24-year-old singer added, "I love this space theme".

"Miley I can't wait for your new album," one user wrote hoping the picture is a tease for her new music, while a third simply expressed excitement over her upcoming VMAs performance. The fan wrote, "can't wait to watch you perform. You're gonna kill it on stage".

Joining Miley on stage for the first-ever gender-neutral VMAs, are other performers like Lorde, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Fifth Harmony, Thirty Seconds to Mars (Jared Leto's band) and Shawn Mendes.

Singer Katy Perry will be pulling double duty at the awards as a musical performer and the host of the show.

The 2017 MTV VMAs air live on Sunday, 27 August at 8pm EST.