Did Dolly Parton Make Pop Music? Yes, But She Preferred to Call It ‘Dolly Parton Music’

While there’s no question Dolly Parton was popular, she had no intention of “going pop” throughout her 60-plus-year career.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are chatting about the relationship Parton — who died on Aug. 25 at age 80 — had with pop music, from her crossover hits to collaborating with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. In a 1977 interview with Country Music magazine — the same year she released one of her poppiest hits, “Here You Come Again” — Parton addressed the genre question head-on. “I never considered the fact that I was going pop,” she said at the time. “I will go pop, as far as crossing over, sooner or later. But I will go there as me. I will go there with my own music, not by trying to be something different than I am.

“If my music has to have a label, I will call it country, mainly because I am country,” the Tennessee native added. “You cannot leave what you are. But I really prefer to call it Dolly Parton music.”

Listen to the full conversation below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” gets a 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the most weeks atop the list among non-holiday songs. Plus, on the Billboard 200 albums chart, ENHYPEN gets its first No. 1, while Parton re-enters the chart at No. 5 with the best-of set Ultimate Dolly Parton.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)