Dolly Parton considers Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus ‘family’… as she celebrates the season with first star-studded holiday album in 30 years
She’s the real Christmas hero after it was revealed she donated $1million to fund research to create a COVID-19 vaccine.
And Dolly Parton took the time at home on lockdown this year to create her first holiday album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
The 74-year-old legend chatted on Spotify: For the Record podcast about the star-studded lineup for her cheery new work, which included a song with goddaughter Miley Cyrus.
Blessings: Dolly Parton took the time at home on lockdown this year to create her first holiday album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas
Dolly admitted that Billy Ray and Miley are ‘family’ and it wasn’t too difficult to ask the pop star to lend her voice on a duet.
‘I love Miley, of course shes been my little goddaughter for all these years,’ she said. ‘We’re very close, we’re very connected. I think of Billy Ray and Miley as family.
‘I just called Miley up. I said, well, I did this — I wrote this song. It’s actually in my Netflix movie called Christmas on the Square, but I want to put it in my new Christmas album. Will you sing on it with me? She said, “Well, I guess.” And I said, “Well, I guess you better!” She was kidding of course.’
Love: The 74-year-old legend chatted on Spotify: For the Record podcast about the star-studded lineup for her cheery new work, which included a song with goddaughter Miley Cyrus; seen in 2019
Miley’s not the only famous voice featured on Dolly’s 47th studio album which also includes duets with Willie Nelson and Jimmy Fallon.
When pondering if Michael Buble would be able to work on the project, Dolly recalled saying: ‘He probably wont do it because he’s so hot and so busy right now.’
She added: ‘Who wouldn’t want to cozy up and cuddle up with Michael Bublé?’
Country crooners: Dolly admitted that Billy Ray and Miley are ‘family’ and it wasn’t too difficult to ask the pop star to lend her voice on a duet
‘I love Miley, of course shes been my little goddaughter for all these years,’ she said. ‘We’re very close, we’re very connected. I think of Billy Ray and Miley as family’
Dolly was recently revealed to have contributed $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, for coronavirus research in April, after the hospital was ‘good to her and her family through the years.’
US company Moderna announced its COVID-19 vaccine may be 94.5% effective against Covid-19, and Parton is namechecked in the preliminary report.
Dolly admitted she was ‘already at work’ and doing interviews when someone asked her on air about the vaccine.
‘I’m so excited about the news,’ she said during an interview with BBC’s The One Show. ‘I heard that yesterday and I didn’t realize that was part of the program that I was part of. So I feel very, very honored and proud.’
Queen of hearts: Dolly was recently revealed to have contributed $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, for coronavirus research in April, after the hospital was ‘good to her and her family through the years’