In an exclusive Tennessean conversation, 79-year-old pop cultural icon Dolly Parton discusses the value of “bringing Dollywood to Nashville” in her latest creative era.
New Dolly Parton musical to premiere at Nashville’s Belmont University
Dolly Parton’s new musical about her life, “Dolly: An Original Musical,” will premiere at Belmont University this summer before heading to Broadway.
In 2026, Dolly Parton turns 80 years old.
Don’t tell her business portfolio and social calendar that.
“I have a Broadway musical, hotel and a new book coming soon called ‘Star of the Show.’ There’s so much going on that it doesn’t feel like, ‘Oh, Jesus God, I’m turning 80,'” the iconic performer told The Tennessean in an extensive conversation backstage at Belmont University’s Fisher Center. The interview took place just after she announced her new “Dolly U” educational partnership with the school to premier “Dolly: The Musical.”
But her planned The Songteller Hotel in Downtown Nashville with a bar, club, museum and restaurant represents the most significant brick-and-mortar expansion of the Dollywood brand in Tennessee — minus theme park rides.
“We’ve done well with Dollywood, but it’s time to bring Dollywood to Nashville,” Parton said.
When asked about her thoughts on yet another era of stunning evolution and impact, she shifts in her seat, smiles broadly and nestles her five-foot-tall frame at the edge of the chair as if preparing to unfurl an adventurous tale.
Parton doesn’t disappoint.
“I feel like I’m entering an era where doing and saying the right things is more important than ever,” Parton said. “The world is so loose-ended these days and everybody’s spinning around like dust devils.”
This evolution is centered on providing a semblance of social stability for the world.
What to know about Dolly Parton’s Downtown Nashville hotel
Though she offers no specific opening date beyond sometime in the next five years, Parton’s The Songteller Hotel will rise on prime real estate in the shadow of the skyline’s famous Batman building. The property at 211 Commerce St., a five-minute stroll from Lower Broadway’s multi-billion-dollar, country superstar-laden district, could be considered her Downtown Nashville headquarters.
Eight months ago, during Fan Fair X at the 51st CMA Music Fest, Parton included the hotel in the announcement of a laundry list of projects, including a new chardonnay, her November 2024-released Smoky Mountain DNA album, plus a potential revival of her four-decade-old film appearance in “9 to 5,” helmed by actress Jennifer Aniston.
“I’m proud of it,” said the performer, matter of factly, about her hotel. “We’ll have a bar, club and restaurant like everyone else does inside the hotel, but I wanted to do something different because my reach is a little more international than most (country stars).”
Parton added that the hotel’s pièce de résistance could be its bachelorette party-friendly “Six Sisters Suite,” which will honor Parton and her quintet of female siblings in a location that ostensibly allows a bride-to-be and five of her closest friends or relatives to have a Parton family-themed experience.
“We’ll still be all about providing excellent accommodations for businesspeople, family and kids, but Six Sisters will cater to bachelorette parties,” she said. “In general, I just want it to be a (well-respected and) well-run hotel, regardless of whether or not people know it for being associated with me.”
Bringing Dollywood to Nashville
For four decades, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. has served as a singular brand hub. Bringing the energy of that brand in a new form to Nashville mirrors another Parton era marked by big ideas.
In 1977, she followed her then-manager Sandy Galin’s plan to develop not just a breakout country star famous for “Jolene,” but a global brand co-signed by everyone from Andy Warhol to Queen Elizabeth II.
By 1978, she was country music’s Entertainer of the Year.
The first half of the 1980s featured her acting role in “9 to 5” and chart-topping acclaim with her Kenny Rogers duet “Islands In The Stream.”
In 1985, Parton invested $5 million in the Silver Dollar City amusement park in her native Sevier County, Tennessee. A year later, rechristened as Dollywood, Parton successfully spawned multitudes of business ventures in her home area, increasing its renown to include a population jump of over 100% from 1990 to the present day.
The Songteller’s museum will have a similar experience but different from the year-old, multi-building, and interactive “Dolly Parton Experience” exhibition at Dollywood. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, that exhibition “tells the story of Parton’s life and career, including the inspirations behind her hit songs and iconic outfits and wigs.”
Instead, the Songteller’s museum will feature more personal artifacts mixed in with pieces from Parton’s professional career. Nearly a half-century into rebranding herself as a global icon, she’s also aware of the three decades that Nashville has spent rebranding itself.
Overall, The Songteller’s arrival portends a mega-massive moment for the artist and the city.
‘Dolly: The Musical,’ in greater depth
“(Dolly: The Musical) is my life’s story, and I hope it serves as an energetic, creative, and spiritual inspiration for everyone,” Parton said.
She added that she pushed to premier her new musical at Belmont University in the summer of 2025 and kick off a “Dolly U” educational partnership with the school, which has earned a reputation as a world-renowned music and creative industry incubator.
Belmont’s 135-year history as a private Christian university and as one that has fostered multiple generations of entertainment and community leaders melds with Parton’s view of her life’s mission.
“I’ve lived long enough where my life — even my mistakes — has set a vulnerable example that, God-willing, can uplift others by glorifying Him,” she said. “(Dolly U) offers me the chance to continue trying to make the world feel a little better, happier and fun.”
This has permitted Belmont students to work alongside the musical’s cast, creative, and production teams as production assistants and casting ambassadors, helping facilitate the national casting drive for “The Search for Dolly” and formally allowing students to travel to New York to audition for roles in the new musical.
A lucrative Parton-Nashville pairing
“It feels like I’m just starting out again,” she said, pointing out that she’s the same woman whose break from Porter Wagoner inspired a gold album and multiple breakout hit singles five decades ago and whose legacy could now be refreshed by the spirit of Music City’s vibrant modern era.
The economics behind that social impact create the most lucrative point worth considering when contemplating the future.
In 2023, Forbes estimated Parton’s net worth to be $440 million. That’s sure to grow with her foray into Nashville’s thriving tourism market. A 2023 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee report shows that Nashville visitors spent an average of nearly $30 million daily, an increase of almost 10% from the previous year.
The potential economic impact of this Parton-Nashville pairing is staggering to consider. To the performer, it’s as powerful as her social influence moving forward.
“I have a good sense of humor and always try to be goofy and silly, making people laugh a lot,” Parton said. “But, in general — funny or not — especially right now, our attitudes and conversations continue to set a positive example for the world’s (present and future).”
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