Here’s Why Dolly Parton Says Her Life Keeps Getting ‘Better and Better’
Dolly Parton is one of the most universally beloved celebrities alive. Her greatest hits and vibrant personality remain popular with younger generations and she’s used her fame and money to improve child literacy and contribute to the creation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through her philanthropic work. Her music may not dominate the charts as it used to, but Parton disagrees with anyone who says she is past her prime. In her eyes, life is only getting better with time.
Dolly Parton is still excited about the possibilities of what life has to offer
Parton celebrated her 77th birthday on January 19, 2023. Instead of slowing down, the country legend is finding new worlds to conquer. She spoke to Forbes in promotion of her ongoing partnership with Duncan Hines, which features new lines of cornbread, biscuits, and brownie mixes personally endorsed by Parton.
Most people at her age are invested in finding ways to slow down, rather than searching for different ways to keep working. No one would begrudge Parton for taking it easy and basking in her legacy as a seminal pop artist. But she has too much intrinsic motivation to permit such a thing. Parton views her ascent as a testament to her hard work as much as her talent, and given the success of her current endeavors, she has little reason to slow down now.
“My life just gets better and better,” Parton said. “I get older and older but I don’t feel it and I don’t work it. I just try to still work like I did when I was young, but life has been good to me. I’ve been very blessed and I’ve always wondered what life would be if I was successful with my work and how people would see me in my later years — and now I’m here and it’s nice to know that I seem to be still important in the world and I can still do some things to try to help make life a little bit better, if I can. So, it’s been a great journey — its had its ups-and-downs but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I don’t know what else I’d do, if not this.”
She has a new album on the way full of famous collaborators
Parton has a lot of other interests, but she is still a musician at heart. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, but Parton’s initial reaction to being on the list of nominees was one of discomfort. She told Billboard that she “never thought of [herself] as being rock and roll in any sense of the word” and only accepted the induction after it was explained to her that the honor was more about the breadth of her influence than the genre of her music.
Parton also made a promise about what she would do if she got into the Hall of Fame. “I had actually thought about that before I even got nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I’ve always wanted to do a great rock album, and I’m going to do that. I don’t know when, but I will do one.”
It turns out that “when” is happening very soon. Parton announced during an interview on The View that her new album, appropriately titled Rock Star, is set to arrive later this year. Being a novice with this type of music, Parton has brought in many classic rock luminaries to help her achieve the right kind of sound. Rock Star includes features from Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Joan Jett among many others.
Parton is leaving nothing to chance with this record with the understanding that she won’t be a style she explores in the future. “I’ve just really put my whole heart and soul into it. I’ve never done a rock album and I’ll never do another one. It will be a double album, so I won’t need to do another one, so I wanted to give it everything I’ve got,” she told Forbes.
Dolly Parton is also making moves in the film industry
As if that wasn’t enough, Parton is also returning to the acting world. She will star in an adaptation of Run, Rose, Run, a New York Times best-selling novel she wrote with James Patterson. (She also made a companion album for the book with the same name.) The story follows a young woman who tries to escape the secrets of her past and make it as a singer-songwriter in Nashville. Filming is scheduled to start this summer.
Parton is also writing a cookbook with her sister Rachel and has ambitions of starting her own TV and movie network. Giving all of these projects the right amount of care takes a lot of energy, but if anyone can make it happen without spreading herself too thin, it’s Parton.
