Rita Wilson caught up with Billboard’s Chelsea Briggs on the red carpet at the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on Friday (Feb. 8), where she chatted about how Dolly Parton has influenced her as a musician and why she thinks her own music has resonated with her fans.
On the topic of Parton, the evening’s honoree, Wilson tells Briggs that she was first inspired by the icon when she heard her voice, noting that it was “so pure.” Once she saw the country icon, she was struck by how gorgeous she was, too.
“But then you are aware of her intelligence, her sense of humor, her compassion and her deep roots — not only to where she comes from but who she is as a person,” Wilson continues. “She has been able to be herself all of these years, and if that’s not an example to all sorts of women in this business and others, I don’t know what is.”
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“She’s doing everything on her own terms,” Wilson adds of Parton. “She always has without compromising and she’s done it without apologizing and I think that’s the key.”
Wilson is also asked about her own music and what she thinks it is about her songs that appeals to her fans.
“I think my fans like stories,” she replies. “I’ve always been a person who loves the story in a song. And I love great melodies, great hooks, and so I just try to keep telling the truth in the music and hope that everybody appreciates it.”
You can watch the full interview with Rita Wilson above.