Country music icon Dolly Parton had a few demands when it came to her 2020 Christmas album. She wanted Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus to be a part of it.
Christmas came a little early this year for Dolly Parton fans with the arrival of A Holly Dolly Christmas back on October 2. It’s the country star’s first holiday album in 30 years.
Parton’s own Butterfly Records partnered up with 12Tone Music Group to produce the holiday album. The collection of songs includes a mix of originals and holiday standards. It features Parton duetting with famous friends such as Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, goddaughter Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, and Willie Nelson. In addition, even her brother Randy Parton is in a song.
Meanwhile, we are just finding out that Parton basically demanded Miley be a part of the album. Miley Cyrus is Parton’s goddaughter.
“She had to sing on this Christmas album,” Parton told ET Canada’s Roz Weston. “She was working on her own project and I said, ‘I’m not going to ask you to put it out as a single, I know you got your own thing, but you have to sing on this album with me – you and Billy Ray, because you’re like family, and I’m probably never going to do another Christmas album.'”
Miley was working on her seventh studio album Plastic Hearts, at the time of Parton asking her to be involved. However, she could never say no to her “Aunt Dolly.” As a result, Miley is featured on the song titled “Christmas Is.”
Dolly Parton Says 2020 is ‘The Perfect Year’ for Her New Christmas Album
A Holly Dolly Christmas was inspired by a decades-old holiday song full of nostalgia and written during the Covid shutdown earlier this year.
In an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this month, Parton discussed why she decided to release a Christmas album. It’s her first holiday-themed collection of work since she released Home for Christmas back in 1990.
“This is a perfect year to do it,” Parton said. “People pretty much will be in house.”
According to the country star herself, she did most of the work during the pandemic shutdown in the spring. And she got her idea for the album title from Burl Ives’ classic, “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”
