Miley Cyrus Details Final Conversation with Late Godmother Dolly Parton and What Made Them ‘Perfect for Each Other’

The “Bass Persuades” singer told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about why she deeply admires Parton, who died at age 80 on Aug. 25

NEED TO KNOW

• Miley Cyrus reflected on her last conversation with Dolly Parton, discussing music and their unique bond
• Cyrus credited Parton with teaching her to balance authenticity and persona in her career
• She shared a heartfelt tribute, saying Parton’s influence will continue to inspire her music and life

Miley Cyrus is opening up about her final conversation with Dolly Parton.

In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the “Bass Persuades” singer, 33, detailed her last conversation with Parton, who acted as a godmother to Cyrus, before the country icon’s death at age 80 on Aug. 25.

“The time that we talked, which was the last time we would talk, it was actually me telling her about this record because even though we are so different, that’s what made us so perfect for each other is that she knew this, and I know this,” said Cyrus.

“She’s known for, I guess, the faux, the fake, the hair, the makeup, the show of it, but there’s a part of her that’s just what I think everyone gravitates toward — how real she is and how authentic she is,” continued the Grammy winner. “And there was a time in my life, I mean, we hit on it with Hannah [Montana], so much of my life’s about persona.”

Cyrus learned how to navigate life as Hannah Montana through lessons from Parton. “I think a way that I could look at that as, you can still have a persona and still be who you are, is because I had Dolly,” she said.

“Sometimes I call what I do drag because the way that I present myself is just someone that is so different from the person that feeds the tortoise every morning,” added Cyrus. “But again, that person’s inside of me — I just kind of have her off.”

The “Flowers” artist then recalled talking to Parton about the fact that she “always” cries in live performances. “I can’t help it,” said Cyrus, recalling the “Jolene” singer’s reaction to her performance of the lead single “End of the World” from her Something Beautiful album on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.

“I start crying, and she watched me on Letterman and was like, ‘What are you crying about?’ I was like, ‘That song is about the world ending and me never seeing my mom again,’” explained Cyrus. “She was like, ‘Music is escapism. Let them cry. Get through it.’ I was like, ‘I know, but this is who I am,’ and she loved me for it.”

She also looked back on performing with Parton when they co-hosted the NBC special Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party in 2023. “I cried singing ‘I Will Always Love You’ with her,” she said. “But I think she knew at that time that the reason I was crying is the reason that I cry now, ‘cause I know that so many — not just Dolly, which is unique. That’s family. But so many of my really stabilizing peers that I have in my life, they’re generations before me, and they’ve laid down brick-by-brick the road that I travel now, 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.”

Another reason Cyrus admired Parton? “Dolly was just always right about stuff,” she told Lowe.

News of Parton’s death was shared by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Aug. 25. A rep for Parton later told PEOPLE she died after a “brief battle with cancer.”

The following day, Cyrus shared a heartfelt Instagram tribute to her “Aunt Dolly.”

“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” she began the post. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.”

Cyrus added, “What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.”

The note concluded with Cyrus saying she “will always love [Parton] and want to make her proud.”

On Friday, Sept. 18, Cyrus will release her new album, Bass Persuades.