Music Legend Dolly Parton is taking a stand for Ukraine; the singer dedicated her hosting gig at the ACM Awards to the struggling nation.
“Well, I felt that it was not only important but urgent to do it because there’s so much grief and so much sorrow,” Parton explained about the decision on The One Show. “I just can’t help feeling like that’s just home, and I feel for those people like they’re my own people, and I just feel like we have to say or do something, whatever we can. I felt like I couldn’t enjoy myself without at least acknowledging them. With us having fun and having the freedom to do that, I just felt that it was necessary to take a minute to acknowledge and pay respect to them and what they’re going through.”
At the show, Parton spoke about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine in her opening monologue.
“I love to laugh, I love to joke, and we’re going to have a good time tonight, but I do want us before we get started with all our fun to take a serious moment,” said Parton. “Now I don’t want to be political and this is not. I’d rather pass a kidney stone than do that, but I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. So why don’t we just dedicate this entire show to them and pray for peace around this crazy old world?”
Dolly Parton Avoids Politics After Dedicating Awards Show to Ukraine
Historically, Parton has remained apolitical. Aside from paying tribute to those in Ukraine, she stuck to that while hosting the ACM Awards. From the late 1970s, the singer made it clear she has no intention of sharing her views or polarizing fans.
Towards the beginning of her career, Parton told Playboy: “As far as gettin’ politically involved, it’s like bein’ denominations. If you’re a Democrat, the Republicans hate you; if you’re a member of one church, then the other ones hate you. Every denomination thinks they’re the only ones gettin’ to heaven and they feel sorry for the other denominations. We can all get there if we work right.”
However, Parton also explained that she bares all when it comes to songwriting. Nothing is off-limits for her creativity.
“In my songwriting, I’ve never shied away from what is going on in the world,” Parton said in her 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. “I don’t voice issues publicly, myself. But in my songs, I can write about whatever I feel. That’s what I’m about. I can say what I need to say without having to march in the streets or make big public statements. I express in my own way what I believe other people need to hear and might not be able to write about their feelings.”
