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Miley Cyrus has shared her final conversation with Dolly Parton, revealing it was about her new album, Bass Persuades. And in doing so, has shared just how much more than a godmother Dolly really was to her.
Speaking to Zane Lowe with Apple Music ahead of the release of her 10th album on September 18th, Cyrus became emotional as she explained that whenever she had a new vinyl pressed, Dolly had always been the first person she sent it to. Cyrus mentioned this time would be no different, she will still be sending her the vinyl.
“I'm just trying to keep myself together, but the time that we talked, which was the last time we would talk, it was actually me telling her about this record,” Cyrus shared.
Cyrus doesn't reveal Dolly's verdict on Bass Persuades, but their final conversation went much deeper than simply talking through the songs or release. Miley reflected on how Dolly's public persona had helped her understand that the person on-stage could and often is very different from the one at home whilst maintaining true authenticity.
The interview is particularly moving given the way the pair had both described their relationship long before Dolly's death on 25th August.
In 2023, Parton said Miley was “like a daughter or a sister” to her, while Cyrus shared a year later: “Dolly's been like a mother to me.” She also recalled receiving a Mother's Day note from Dolly telling her how much she loved her, something Miley admitted still got her “choked up”.
And that mother-daughter comparison returned during the new interview as Cyrus spoke about the older artists who had always helped guide her through her career.
“They've laid down, brick by brick, the road that I travel now,” she said. “And they aren't always going to be here for me to call them and say, ‘What do I do now?’ Which I always did with Dolly.
“And she was always right. It's like how your mom's like always right and when you're a kid, you're like, what does she know? And then as you get older, you're like, everything.
“Dolly was just always right about stuff.”
One of those pieces of advice came when Dolly noticed just how emotional Miley could become while performing ‘End of the World’, which featured on 2025's Something Beautiful.
Miley explained that she would cry because “that song's about the world ending and me never seeing my mom again.”
Dolly’s response was, “Music is escapism. Let them cry. You need to get through it.”
Miley replied: “I know, but this is who I am, and she loved me for it.”
Dolly was also the person who helped convince Miley to return to one of music's biggest stages when she wasn't sure she was ready.
Cyrus recalled travelling to Nashville to see her and being surprised when Dolly insisted on picking her up. Once Miley was in the car, Dolly began explaining why she needed to perform at the Grammys. Miley told her she couldn't, saying she still felt like she was in “rest and recovery mode”.
Dolly's had the ultimate WWDD solution. “Get your hair teased and get a dress that you love,” she told her, encouraging Miley to step into her “Hannah Montana, your Dolly Parton” and use that performer side of herself to get through it.
Parton died in Nashville on 25th August aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer. For Miley the loss is clearly not just that of one of country music's greatest artists or even her famous godmother. She has lost one of the people she called when she didn't know what to do next.
And while she may no longer be able to pick up the phone and ask, after years of Dolly being “always right”, perhaps the answer is always going to be in the question...
“What would Dolly do?”
