Dolly Parton has hit out at the prospect of AI technology keeping her around forever - joking she is “artificial” enough already.
The country star legend, famous for her cosmetically enhanced good looks, laughed: “I don’t want to be artificial, well any intelligence I have is artificial….and everything I have is artificial”.
The star was asked about living on in artificial form in the future at a press conference in London yesterday to talk about her new album Rockstar.
Dolly, 77, added: “I think I’ve left a great body of work behind.
“I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this earth.
“I think with some of this stuff I’ll be grounded here for ever ... I’ll be around, we’ll find ways to keep me here. But i am not leaving anytime soon.”
Her comments come as Abba last year launched a purpose-built stadium in London featuring four 3D digital versions of the group’s younger selves singing and dancing to 20 or so of their hits.
Her first rock and roll record has seen her collaborate with famous faces including Lizzo, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John.
Dolly also spoke about her fitness secrets - saying the key was very little exercise, as well as “good doctors”.
She joked: “I hate exercise, like I hated school. I watch my diet the best I can. I try and do low carb but if I see something I want to eat, I eat it as I am a hog at heart. But exercise, i hate, hate, hate. I just do my diddly squats.”
Dolly collaborates with Sir Elton on a cover of Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, which he performed at Glastonbury.
She said: “I did catch some of that on the news. I have loved Elton for years, we are very similar in terms of how we are over the top with everything…I knew our voices worked really well and he jumped at the chance of singing on my album. And he asked if I could sing on his next album, and I said yes.”
Dolly said that she wasn’t going to tour this new album as she didn’t want to be far from her Nashville home she shares with husband Carl.
“The reason why I don’t tour now is because I don’t want to be away from home, we are all getting older , my husband and I, and I have a lot of business I do at home..”
Her next project she revealed would be a Broadway musical about her life next year, and she wanted to do a gospel album too.
“I love to work. I would be dangerous if i didn’t have things to do; I have very high energy,” she says.
Rockstar includes nine original songs and 21 well-known rock anthems.
“I enjoy getting to sing other songs, not just my own stuff. It was a joy to me,” she says.
The album is due for release on November 17 2023.
