Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton have fans working 9 to 5 trying to figure out if a collaboration between the two blonde country–pop crossover superstars is in the works.
That’s because the “Jolene” singer appears to have given the Eras Tour headliner a “follow” on Instagram, as reported by Uproxx and a number of fan accounts on social media. That tiny movement alone has sparked a wave of speculation that Parton may be gearing up to get in the studio with Swift — or, better yet, that the former might just be featured on the latter’s highly anticipated Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version).
“I’ll never shut up if Queen Dolly is on Debut TV,” one Swiftie tweeted Wednesday (Dec. 25), while another person commented, “IF DOLLY IS ON DEBUT TV I WILL NEVER RECOVER IT WILL BE THE BEST THING THATS EVER HAPPENED.”
“IF DOLLY IS ON DEBUT TV IM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PERSON I’LL BECOME,” wrote a third fan.
Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) is one of two re-records — the other being 2017’s Reputation — that Swift has left to release in her Taylor’s Version series, which has found the star dropping revamped versions of her first six albums since 2021. So far, she’s unveiled re-recordings of 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s Red and 2014’s 1989.
Released in 2006, the 14-time Grammy winner’s self-titled debut LP marks the most distinctly country-sounding album in her discography — so it only makes sense that she would enlist Parton, one of the genre’s biggest legends, to help out. Swift has previously tapped other stars to duet on From the Vault tracks for her Taylor’s Version projects, including Keith Urban for “That’s When” from Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Phoebe Bridgers for “Nothing New” from Red (Taylor’s Version) and Paramore’s Hayley Williams for “Castles Crumbling” from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).
Plus, Parton and Swift are openly fans of each other. In November 2023, the “Anti-Hero” singer told The Hollywood Reporter, “Dolly is a force of evolution and transformation in our industry, but she does it with such playful levity it almost looks effortless. Her sense of humor and mischief are easily my favorite things about her, because I think it forces the world to reconcile that a woman can be a serious artist and writer who also has raucous fun with it, can make people laugh and be in on every joke.”
“Taylor Swift is amazing what she has done with her career,” Parton said of Swift in an interview with Variety the following September. “I just admire her very much and how she’s handled her business, her personal life and what all she has meant to so many young people. [She’s] been a great inspiration.”
