Dolly Parton Makes Huge Career Announcement on Her 78th Birthday: ‘Have a Happy Birthday for Me’

Dolly Parton kicked off her 78th birthday on Friday, January 19, with an exciting announcement about her career!

“Hey fans and friends, It’s my birthday so I’m going to give you a present!” the “Jolene” singer wrote on Instagram. “I’m releasing four never released songs for my birthday to go with the Rockstar album, and a few others that you may have heard before that were not on the album. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope you all have a happy birthday for me! LOL.”

In honor of Dolly’s big day, the Grand Ole Opry announced a special tribute night at the Ryman Auditorium featuring covers of her biggest hits by Lauren Alaina, Terri Clark, Elle King and more. All across the U.S., the songstress was honored by her loyal fans with sweet tributes, including one from the members of Waltonwood Senior Living home in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Residents of the facility hosted a “Waltonwood to Dollywood” party with costumes, a pony and a book drive to benefit Dolly’s Imagination Library foundation, per Fox News. The program mails free books to kids around the world.

Dolly first released her Rockstar album in November 2023, in addition to all of her philanthropic work. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

“Wow, this is a big thrill!” she said in a statement at the time. “I owe a thank you to the fans who have always been there for me. Their support made this achievement possible. I’d also like to thank my producer Kent Wells, all the wonderful artists, musicians and engineers who brought their talents to this project.”

Following the release of Rockstar, Dolly performed at the Salvation Army’s 27th annual Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. She wore a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform during the Thanksgiving Day performance, showing her support for the Dallas Cowboys as they took on the Washington Commanders.

During the performance, the country music icon showed off her rocker side with covers of “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” While some took to social media to critique Dolly’s wardrobe choice, her sister Stella Parton came to her defense.

“I personally thought my big sister, Dolly, was cute as hell in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleading costume at the halftime show on Thanksgiving,” Stella, 74, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the NFL game. “To those of you being so critical of a 77-year-old kicking up her heels, I say f–k yourself. Shame on you, not her.”