Dolly Parton Announces Surprise New Music for Her 78th Birthday: 'Going to Give You a Present'

Happy birthday, Dolly Parton!

The country music legend shared an Instagram grid post Friday — which is also her 78th birthday — that revealed she’s marking the occasion in style with some new music.

“Hey fans and friends, It’s my birthday so I’m going to give you a present!" she began the message, which was written in an image she posted.

Parton continued, "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.”

She concluded her message with a sweet note to her fans, writing, “Thanks for everything, Dolly.”

The star captioned her post, “Surprise! Stream ‘Rockstar Deluxe’ wherever you get your music ❤️‍🔥.”

Delighted fans sent the star their best wishes in the comments section of her post with one writing, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOLLY!! THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!!” Another shared, “Love u Dolly!” While a third penned, “Happy Birthday Dolly!!! You are a gift to us all!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖”

The new deluxe version of her rock-inspired album Rockstar, with the special new tracks, follows the record's initial release in November last year.

Back in May 2023, Parton announced its release, and at the time, revealed that the 30-song record would include 20 iconic covers and nine original songs.

"I'm so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album Rockstar! I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure," she said in a press release at the time.

"I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I've enjoyed putting it together!" she added.

Meanwhile, it seems even royalty aren’t immune to Parton’s charms as the singer recently revealed that, due to a scheduling conflict, she’d been forced to turn down an afternoon tea invitation from none other than Kate Middleton.

In an interview with U.K. outlet Saga earlier this month, the star said of her encounter with the Princess of Wales, “I was honored and flattered that she even asked me.” 

However, she went on to share that a heavy workload meant she’d been forced to decline.

“I only had one full day and I did not have a second to do anything else besides work," she said.

The "Jolene" singer then told the outlet that she would jump at the chance to have tea with Kate, if the royal was ever to extend the offer again in the future. Parton even has an idea about what they would talk about: the passion for helping children that they both share. 

The country legend and the Princess of Wales have both launched several hugely successful initiatives for underprivileged children. Parton created her Imagination Library in 1995, which has gifted 200 million books worldwide to children since it was founded, while Kate, 42, has launched several programs which focus on the importance of early childhood developmental care in the U.K.,

Parton added that she’s a big fan of the British royal — who has recently undergone abdominal surgery. “I think she’s adorable and I hope someday to be able to sit down and have a good conversation with her," she said.

And that wasn’t Parton’s first brush with the British royals, she previously met Queen Elizabeth during her Silver Jubilee in 1977. The singer recalled that she was “scared to death” about "messing up the curtsy," but recalled how “very warm, very sweet” and “very giving” the late Queen was. 

“Just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing,” Parton told Insider of the backstage encounter after her performance at the Royal Variety Show in Glasgow, Scotland.