BY: Denver Sean
Published 3 years ago
Lil Nas X is going back to his country roots…sort of.
The singer/rapper delivered his own cover of Dolly Parton’s iconic 1973 hit “Jolene” during an appearance at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
He also performed “Dead Right Now” and “That’s What I Want,” both from his new album, Montero.
via People:
Lil Nas X, 22, and Parton, 75, are mutual fans — the country singer told Ellein 2019 that she had an opportunity to feature on Lil Nas X’s breakout hit “Old Town Road,” but hopes to instead work with him on another project in the future.
“I had an opportunity to be part of that [song], but it had done so well with so many people,” she said. Lil Nas X released remixes of the track with BTS, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Wayne and Diplo, among others. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ll wait and do something later on. No point in going down that same Old Town Road. We got other roads to travel.’ “
“I was so happy for him,” she added of the song’s success.
In his version of “Jolene” — which was nominated for two Grammy Awardsand has been covered by countless artists since its release more than 45 years ago — Lil Nas X croons into a rhinestone-covered microphone.
Making Montero, released on Friday, was a vulnerable experience for Lil Nas X, he told PEOPLE last week. “I’m super excited for everyone to hear this piece of art I’ve been working on for such a long time,” he said.
“You’re getting a lot of stories about me,” he said of the album. “You’re getting a lot of stories about my past and where I want to be in my love life. But they’re also a bop. I feel like I finally found a great balance between being as real as possible within my music and making a hit song.”
It’s also not without a bit of country influence — in addition to Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, Elton John and Doja Cat featured on Montero, the album also includes a guest vocal appearance from Miley Cyrus (Parton’s goddaughter).
We love Lil Nas X, so we’ll give him an A for effort.
