Miley Cyrus on What Dolly Parton Taught Her About Pushing Boundaries
Miley Cyrus has never been shy about her love for Dolly Parton. She has paid tribute to the country legend countless times over the course of her career. She’s also learned a ton from the “Jolene” singer about how to navigate a career in the entertainment industry. But Cyrus and Parton’s bond extends far beyond a professional relationship. The pair consider each other to be family.
Miley Cyrus worked with her godmother on ‘Hannah Montana’
Fans of Hannah Montana will recall that Parton portrayed herself on the hit Disney Channel show. She was the godmother of Cyrus’ character, Miley Stewart. However, the 9 to 5 star is also Cryus’ godmother in real life. The Plastic Hearts artist calls Parton her “Aunt Dolly” and thinks the world of her. In fact, it was Cyrus who campaigned for Parton to be on Hannah Montana to begin with.
The ‘Like a Prayer’ singer says Dolly Parton pushed boundaries in country music
Though Parton has always championed Cyrus’ ability to navigate her career, the Disney alum has taken note of what Parton has done successfully. In an interview with NPR, Cyrus highlighted Parton’s ability to push the genre of country music forward. She revealed that Parton infused sexiness into the genre through her appearance and the topics of her music.
“I think she – the best thing that she does is she’s not afraid to laugh at herself,” Cyrus explained. “You know, you take seriously what matters. But Dolly – part of her entertainment is by – in a way, she pushed the boundaries for country music by looking the way that she does and saying the things that she says and being sexual in that way. I mean, there’s no one that’s been able to make country music sexual, you know, more than Dolly.”
Cyrus reveals what Parton has taught her about pushing boundaries
Fans of Cyrus will note that she is unafraid to push boundaries herself. Over the years, she’s received a lot of flack for some of her professional decisions. However, the “See You Again” singer never truly seems concerned about the backlash to her choices. It seems that she’s learned from Parton the key to pushing boundaries in artistic ways.
“But she would say, well, that’s not why I’m doing it,” Cryus continued about Parton pushing boundaries. “That’s not why I wear my hair like this. That’s not why my boobs are this big. I mean, she does it because she likes it. And I think that’s what she got to do. If you want to be in that way, pushing the boundaries, you have to like it – and to remember that, you know, you want to make music for the people that love your music for what – for your honesty and your fans. And, otherwise, just have fun and make the music that you love.”
Clearly, Cyrus has learned a lot of professional and personal lessons from her Aunt Dolly. It’ll be interesting to see what other lessons she learns from Parton going forward.
