Dolly Parton Praises Taylor Swift Amid Damon Albarn Feud: ‘You Have To Stand Up For Yourself’

hollywoodlife.com:

As a country music legend and a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Dolly Parton knows how to put together a tune.

Dolly also knows that, sometimes, you need to make sure you get the respect you deserve — just like how Taylor Swift went after Damon Albarn when he said “she doesn’t write” her own songs. “I don’t care what other people say about my songs,” Dolly tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY while discussing the new Dolly Parton Baking Collection with Duncan Hines. “But with Taylor, she’s a great writer — with or without anybody.” Dolly also waved off Damon’s claims that “co-writing doesn’t count” in songcraft. “It’s not true,” she insisted. “When you co-write a song, you work just as hard.

Sometimes you work harder with a co-writer because you want to be sure to do your part.” Though Dolly says she doesn’t write a lot with other people because her writing is deeply personal to her — “Rather than thinking about what I’m going to put on a record, I just write whatever is coming out right now” — she respects those who do create with others. “There’s a lot to be said about co-writing,” says Dolly. “I don’t like to judge other people and their problems,” she adds, “but when all that stuff that happens, like with Britney Spears — when they get [wrapped up in] controversy like that, you have to kind of stand up for yourself.” Related Gallery “I really get rubbed wrong sometimes when people mistreat the artist.

I don’t like that,” says Dolly. When Taylor’s fearlessness in calling out her haters is brought up, Dolly says she “completely get(s) that, and she’s magnificent.” “I think she’s done great,” Dolly says of Taylor. “And that’s one of the things I admire about her because she’s never sold herself.