Kelly Clarkson has finally unveiled the release date of her upcoming collaboration with country music legend Dolly Parton. The two powerhouse artists teamed up for a new spin on Parton’s iconic “9 To 5,” which comes four decades after Parton’s classic film of the same name with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Clarkson shared on her social media channels on Friday morning (August 26):
“I'm so excited to finally announce the new version of ‘9 to 5’ I recorded with the legendary [Dolly Parton] is coming out on September 9th!! Thank you [Shane McAnally] for making this dream a reality and putting this project together.”
McAnally dubbed the collaboration the “wildest dream team” as Clarkson made the announcement on Instagram. Clarkson has performed her own covers of Parton’s biggest songs earlier this year, including a stunning tribute to Parton at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas in March. Clarkson delivered a powerful rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” and Parton gushed: “That is so great! That’s so great, Kelly. I know that Whitney (Houston) is smiling down on us tonight… She’d be proud of that. I was backstage trying not to cry my false eyelashes off.”
Around the same time, Clarkson also covered “Jolene” during the “Kellyoke” segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show, a 1970s classic that sees the narrator begging “Jolene” not to steal her man (and a song that has inspired tons of covers and spinoffs since its release). In addition to her collaboration with Clarkson, Parton also announced her upcoming A Holly Dolly Christmas Ultimate Deluxe collection, due on October 14. Before that, she celebrated with the release of one of the tracks, “Smoky Mountain Christmas,” on Friday. See Clarkson’s announcement here: