The country music icon is just as excited as the BeyHive to see what comes up on Beyoncé's 'Act II.'
Talk about ambitious crossovers! Country music fans might be getting the music collaboration of the year between Dolly Parton and Beyoncé for the latter's upcoming album. In a recent interview with Knox News, Parton, 78, revealed that the 42-year-old singer recorded a cover of her iconic 1973 single, "Jolene."
When asked about the rumors that Beyoncé will cover one of her songs for her forthcoming Act II album, a follow-up to the GRAMMY-winning Renaissance, Parton replied, "Well, I think she has! I think she's recorded 'Jolene' and I think it's probably gonna be on her country album, which I'm very excited about that."
"I love her!" the country music icon added of Beyoncé. "She's a beautiful girl and a great singer. We've kind of sent messages back and forth through the years. And she and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great."
Since Parton made sure to note that nothing is certain, fans will have to wait for Act II's March 29 release date to see if the country match-up of dreams will come to fruition.
Still, it would be amazing to see a musical queen pay tribute to another, especially after Parton offered her congratulations and well wishes to Beyoncé when the latter made history with her latest foray into the genre.
Last month, Billboard announced that the Renaissance singer became the first Black female artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart with her single, "Texas Hold 'Em," The singer's other new offering, "16 Carriages," also cracked the Top 10 at No. 9.
The No. 1 also gave Beyoncé her seventh unique top spot on one of Billboard's multimetric song charts as a solo artist: the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Only Justin Bieber has more, at eight.
"I'm a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she's done a country album," Parton shared in a statement at the time. "So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can't wait to hear the full album!"
Parton reiterated her praise while speaking with Knox News, welcoming the Houston-born musician at a time when she's received pushback for tapping into her country roots when she's traditionally viewed as an R&B/Pop artist.
"A lot of people don't realize Beyoncé is a country girl. She's from Texas," Parton said. "I think we belong wherever we can do good, and her song is number one across every chart in the whole world, I think. So, I mean, who can argue with that?"
Indeed, the new songs are far from Beyoncé's first foray into the county music scene.
On her 2016 magnum opus, Lemonade, the singer reached into her country roots for "Daddy Lessons," which she later performed alongside The Chicks at the 50th annual Country Music Association Awards.
While Beyoncé's first Renaissance album served as a tribute to house and disco music, it's clear that Act II -- the second part of a planned trilogy of albums that started with 2022's Renaissance -- will offer a tip of the cowboy hat to country music.
Fans can dive into the full experience of Renaissance: Act II when it drops on March 29.
RELATED CONTENT:
