What Dolly Parton said about teaming up with Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter and who’s next!
- Dolly Parton has fun working with artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus.
- The singer values the freedom she has to do want she wants without needing approval from record label executives.
- Parton is looking forward to the next superstar who calls her up to collaborate.
First it was Beyoncé. Then Sabrina Carpenter and even The Wiggles. What superstar will Dolly Parton work with next?
The Queen of Country is one of the busiest butterflies in the entertainment industry. Right now, she’s working on bringing her life to the stage in "Dolly: An Original Musical." The musical is set to debut this summer at Belmont University's Fisher Center before going to Broadway in 2026.
She paired up with Sabrina Carpenter in February for the deluxe album version of the pop star’s “Please Please Please.” Last year, the Queen of Country collaborated with Beyoncé on three tracks on Queen Bey's Grammy-winning “Cowboy Carter” album, including a cover of Parton's classic, “Jolene.”
And don’t forget Parton's cookbook with sister Rachel, plus a family album, Dolly Wines, the celebration of Dollywood’s 40th season and dozens of other recent projects.
At 79, Parton is just having fun and embracing her freedom!
‘Freedom is a great word for everybody, anybody’
“I've always had fun (in my career),” Parton told Knox News during a sit-down interview March 14. “I've had a lot of hard times, but you have to go through all those things. But I always enjoyed my work.”
What stands out most about her career now, though, is that she gets to try fun and different things because she wants to … and because she can.
“They're a joy to do. I don't have to worry about a record label saying, ‘No, you can't do that,’ because I own my own music, I own my own label. So, I'm pretty independent. I can do what I please,” Parton explained
“I love being able to have that freedom. I think freedom is a great word for everybody, anybody, in anything you do. Just having the freedom to work and the freedom to express yourself the way you want to. To do what you want to, go where you want to,” she continued.
Dolly Parton just wants to have fun with Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter
Parton loves being able to work with other artists like Beyoncé, Carpenter and Miley Cyrus.
“I think that's been the greatest joy is just thinking, ‘Yay, Beyoncé wants to sing with me! She wants to sing my song!' Yeah, absolutely. Which train do I get on that’s going to get me there the quickest?” she said.
However, she did have one condition before getting in the recording booth with Carpenter, whose vocabulary is a little more colorful than Parton’s.
“Of course, she can talk a little bad now and then. I told her, I said, now, I don't cuss. I don't make fun of Jesus. I don't talk bad about God, and I don't say dirty words, on camera, but known to if I get mad enough.”
The duo also shot a music video for “Please Please Please,” which has 11 million views on YouTube one month after its release.
“She was so sweet. And Beyoncé's great and Miley, you know I love her. So, I'm just having fun with all of it,” Parton said.
So, who is Dolly Parton having fun with next?
“Whoever calls me that I like. (And) I’ll I say, ‘Yeah, I'll do that!”
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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