Dolly Parton is just a month away from releasing her highly anticipated first rock album, fittingly titled Rockstar, on Nov. 17, and fans are particularly excited to hear her collaboration with goddaughter and fellow superstar Miley Cyrus.
The duo are teaming up for a fresh rendition of Cyrus’ 2013 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Wrecking Ball,” and in a clip shared exclusively with Billboard on Friday (Oct. 20), the country icon revealed why she wanted to include the track on her album.
“To involve Miley in my rock ‘n’ roll album, I thought, well, I have to do ‘Wrecking Ball,’ because I love Miley and I love the song,” Parton shares in the video. “So I said, ‘Will you come and do this for me?’ And she said, ‘Of course,’ but it actually came from the fact that we had done the song on NBC for her New Year’s show that she does every year from Miami.”
Parton continued: “We got such a response from how we did ‘Wrecking Ball,’ and combined my song ‘I Will Always Love You’ with that one. Since everybody loved it, and we loved it, I thought, why don’t I just do that combination and have her sing on my rock album? So I love my Miley and I love that song and I’m very proud of it. My version, and hers, and ours.”
Following its release on Aug. 25, 2013, “Wrecking Ball” became Cyrus’ first No. 1 single on the Hot 100 and spent three weeks atop the chart.
Beyond “Wrecking Ball,” Parton’s Rockstar album will feature a number of superstar collaborations with the likes of Sting, Stevie Nicks, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Chris Stapleton, Lizzo, Elton John, P!nk, Brandi Carlile, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and more. Check out the full track list here.
Watch Parton talk the inspiration behind putting “Wrecking Ball” on Rockstar below.
