Dolly Parton has lifted the lid on her close relationship with goddaughter Miley Cyrus who features on her upcoming debut rock album.
The 77-year-old country music legend’s record Rockstar, which is due for release on November 17, reads like a who’s who of the rock world, with the likes of Sir Elton John, Sting and former Beatles Sirs Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr all appearing.
With Cyrus though, it’s a bit different – as Parton counts her as family.
“I love Miley, I’ve known Miley before she ever got here when she was conceived,” the Jolene hit-maker told the Standard and other media at a press conference in London.
“I worked with her daddy Billy Ray when he had Achy Breaky Heart, we toured together for a few years and of course Miley became my goddaughter – I was her fairy godmother.”
Adding: “We really have a true bond, she is like a daughter or a sister to me.”
For Parton’s latest release, the pair sing a duet of Cyrus’ 2013 number one hit Wrecking Ball, which they first performed together last New Year’s Eve during a TV special which was broadcasted in the US.
“People just had a fit over it, it got really great reviews,” she recalled. “So when I got ready to do this album I said, ‘I’m gonna do Wrecking Ball and you’re gonna sing it with me right?’ And she said ‘Well, duh!’
“So we did it and that’s one of my favourite tracks on the whole album. I love that song and I love Miley. I think her voice is really beautiful.”
Rockstar features 30 tracks, including nine original songs.
While Parton insists that she will “always be a country girl at heart”, there is one other genre she would like to tackle – gospel.
“I want to do one as spectacular as I hope this one is and to have that left behind. I’ve done gospel songs before but I want to really do something great which is still more of an uplifting thing; I’m about that now at my age,” she explained.
“You think about what’s going on in the world and you think, I’m not going to be around here that long so I want to leave some kind of messages and at least something so the people that are prone to like that sort of thing will have something to lean on.
“I’m sure I’ll be singing a song for different people over the years and I’ll probably be doing more rock things.
“Elton John just asked if I would sing on his next album and I said, ‘Well, yes! You sang on mine, I’ll sing on yours’. I’ll do anything, so who knows.”
