Before teaming up with Sabrina Carpenter on their duet of “Please Please Please,” country icon Dolly Parton laid down one ground rule: she doesn’t cuss, and she doesn’t make jokes about Jesus. Period.
“Of course, she can talk a little bad now and then,” Dolly told Knox News. “I told her, I said, now, I don’t cuss. I don’t make fun of Jesus. I don’t talk bad about God, and I don’t say dirty words, on camera, but known to if I get mad enough.”
Dolly, now 79, made it clear she wouldn’t compromise her long-standing personal values, even in a high-profile pop crossover. The collaboration with Sabrina joins a growing list of recent features that includes Beyoncé and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus.
“[Sabrina] was so sweet,” Dolly said. “And Beyoncé’s great. And Miley, you know I love her. So, I’m just having fun with all of it.”
Despite being one of the best-selling recording artists in history, Dolly admitted she rarely listens to other music. In an interview with NYLON, she revealed that her mornings are filled with quiet reflection and writing, often for major projects like her upcoming life story musical, which she says she’s fully written herself.
“I don’t listen to a lot of music, I’m so busy writing it,” she said. “When I’m getting ready, I’m always thinking and writing something down.”
She also opened up about her style choices. Dolly explained that how she dresses often depends on her mood, but always with the intention to amplify her strengths and downplay what she calls her “bad points.”
“If I’m going to the recording studio or doing interviews, I need to dress it up a little, but I always try to wear things that play up my good points and play down my bad points,” she said. “If you feel good in what you’re wearing, you project good, and people feel good around you.”
Dolly Parton continues to be a generational bridge in music, staying relevant across decades, staying true to her values, and collaborating with Gen Z pop stars on her own terms. Her message to Sabrina Carpenter wasn’t just about lyrics, it was a quiet reminder that you can evolve without losing who you are.
