Dolly Parton explains why she’ll never retire from making music despite decision to stop touring
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dolly Parton, the beloved country music icon, shows no signs of slowing down as she approaches her 79th birthday this January.
Following the success of her album 'Rockstar' and her notable performance at the 'Dallas Cowboys Halftime Show', Parton is set to release another album titled 'Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables'.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, she shared her thoughts on retirement, dispelling any notions that she plans to step back from her vibrant career.
Dolly Parton on staying busy and not planning to retire
Dolly Parton remarked, “I’ve dreamed myself into a corner. I’ve got to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream spins off into something else.”
This commitment to her dreams is evident from her passion for music and stage performances, even as she acknowledges the challenges of touring at her age.
While she clarified that she may not undertake extensive international tours anymore, she still enjoys performing, “It’s misinformation when I said I was not touring anymore. I still do shows,” she stated, emphasizing her desire to balance work with spending more time with her husband, Carl Dean, as they both grow older.
"I just don’t go on the full-blown tours where I go overseas for weeks. I’m older, my husband’s older, and I want to be with him more. So, no. I couldn’t retire if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.”
Dolly and her husband, Carl Dean, have been happily married for nearly sixty years. The couple tied the knot in May 1966 and has enjoyed a blissful life together ever since.
While Dean is said to prefer a quiet life away from the spotlight, that can be a challenge when you’re married to someone as iconic as Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton explains how she makes her work and life enjoyable
Dolly Parton shared her thoughts on staying happy and making her work and life more enjoyable. She emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, saying, “You have to work at being happy. Some people work at being miserable.”
When faced with challenges, she tries to shift her mindset, “If I wake up in the morning and don’t feel great or things are not great, I try to think about what I can do to make things work better, rather than just falling into that deep hole, because then you just go deeper and deeper.”
This proactive approach helps her maintain a sense of gratitude and purpose, as she stated, “I just try to have a good attitude and make things right; to be grateful for the things I have, thank God, and look for spiritual strength for myself.”
Although she no longer holds a traditional '9 to 5' job, Parton’s success has allowed her to be selective in her projects. Her classic song '9 to 5' ironically contributes to her current ability to choose how she spends her time.
