Dolly Parton admires Miley Cyrus for 'trying new things' in life

Dolly Parton has recently revealed her goddaughter Miley Cyrus is close to her heart because of her principles in life.

The country musician reflects on her decades-long career as she paves the way for “generations of female artists” in her new book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage.

Calling the Flowers hitmaker a goddaughter, Dolly shares she “loves” Miley.

“She’s always trying new things. Some of them work great, some of them don’t, but she’s learned a lot,” says the legendary musician in an interview with PEOPLE.

Another key factor is Dolly’s philosophy is same as Miley.

“If you don’t have the nerve to try it, you’re never going to know. That’s kind of like my philosophy,” acknowledges the 79-year-old.

For those unversed, Dolly reportedly managed to make a mainstream crossover as a solo artist before taking over Hollywood in the 1980s with movies like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias.

Elsewhere in the interview, the country musician notes, “You have to grow into things, and you have to grow out of things; that’s how I handled my career.”

“I needed to try things. A lot of people think because you’re a girl, you don’t always know what you’re doing. I don’t care about what other people are doing. I only care about what I need to be doing, explains Dolly.

Meanwhile, the country musician is not only a godmother to Miley but they have collaborated together on many songs, including Rainbowland as well as a duet version of 2013 hit Wrecking Ball, which appeared on Dolly’s 2023 album Rockstar.