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Dolly Parton paved the way for generations of female artists — and she’s supportive of the risks they’ve taken.
The country legend, 79, looks back on her legacy in her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage (out now), as well as her upcoming Broadway show Dolly: A True Original Musical (due in 2026). Both projects recount the singular career she built for herself, while fans can also draw parallels between Parton’s journey and the careers of contemporary artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves, who have thrived outside the confines of one genre.
“I appreciate and admire all the girls,” Parton says.
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Adds Parton: “Just like Miley [Cyrus], my goddaughter, I love her. She’s always trying new things. Some of them work great, some of them don’t, but she’s learned a lot. If you don’t have the nerve to try it, you’re never going to know. That’s kind of like my philosophy.”
After making a name for herself in Nashville as country star Porter Wagoner’s duet partner, Parton managed to make a mainstream crossover as a solo artist before conquering Hollywood in the 1980s with films like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias.
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“You have to grow into things, and you have to grow out of things; that’s how I handled my career,” Parton says in the new issue of PEOPLE. “I needed to try things. A lot of people think because you’re a girl, you don’t always know what you’re doing. I don’t care about what other people are doing. I only care about what I need to be doing.”
Throughout her wild ride, she relied on her tenacity, her Christian faith and her gut.
“I don’t try to tell other people how to do it, how to be, but I know who I am,” Parton says. “I’m a star to everybody but me. I’m just a working girl. I always just say that I’m a workhorse that looks like a show horse.”
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For more on Dolly Parton, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.
In addition to being a godmother to Cyrus, 32, Parton has also been her collaborator. They’ve worked together on multiple songs, including “Rainbowland” (off Cyrus’ 2017 album Younger Now), as well as a duet version of Cyrus’ 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball,” which appeared on Parton’s 2023 album Rockstar.
In a September CR Fashion Book cover, Cyrus called Parton one of her “guiding lights” in the industry.
“During the [2025 Los Angeles] fires, when there was so much devastation and grief, in those moments I always thought of Dolly Parton. Through her music and her gift for making people happy, she’s always been medicinal in those times,” Cyrus told the outlet. “She always tells me that moments of trauma aren’t times to shut down or give up as entertainers. It’s our duty — one of the reasons we chose this calling — to be a source of joy and inspiration during moments of trouble.”
Parton’s new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage is out now.
