Beyoncé waded into country music waters on the follow-up to her 2022 album Renaissance. She became the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with the banjo-forward lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Many are skeptical of Beyoncé’s pivot to country. However, one Nashville icon has made her full support crystal clear: Dolly Parton.
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“I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Parton wrote in a Feb. 22 Instagram post. “Can’t wait to hear the full album!”
Dolly Hopes to Hear Beyoncé Cover This Iconic Song
Parton’s motives for hearing Queen Bey’s new material go beyond sheer curiosity. The “I Will Always Love You” singer suspects she may have a bit role on Act II.
“I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that,” Parton told Knox News in a March 8 interview.
Obviously, “Jolene” is the lead single and title track from Parton’s 1974 album. Everyone from The White Stripes to Becky G has put their own twist on the song.
However, Parton has long wanted to hear Beyoncé take on “Jolene.” What’s more, she has been in contact with the “Lemonade” singer.
“We’ve kind of sent messages back and forth through the years,” the “Coat of Many Colors” singer said. “And she and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great.”
Parton will find out with the rest of us when Act II drops March 29.
Dolly Parton Has Already Gone Rock (and Hip-Hop)
Parton essentially created the blueprint for genre crossing. Her 1977 album Here You Come Again featured the title track that gave Parton her first Top 10 hit on the pop charts.
Last November, the East Tennessee native dropped a rock n’ roll album to much fanfare. Rockstar debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — the artist’s highest position on the all-genre albums chart.
[RELATED: How Dolly Parton reunited The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for ‘Rockstar’]
Parton resurfaced in February, this time on the rap charts. Her Pitbull-fronted single, “Powerful Women,” debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Rap Digital Song Sales.
“Powerful Women” borrows heavily from Parton’s signature 1980 hit “9 to 5.” The 11-time GRAMMY winner shouts out her 9 to 5 film co-stars, Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin, along with “the girls that fight/ For equal pay/ Equal rights.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
