Dolly revealed in an interview published Monday, August 24, that she’s in the early stages of exploring avatar performances that could potentially allow a digital version of her to perform for audiences in the future.
Yes.
Digital Dolly.
But she’s apparently being very careful about how she approaches it.
The idea isn’t entirely science fiction anymore.
ABBA has had enormous success in London with ABBA Voyage, a concert built around digital versions of the group’s members. The real musicians aren’t physically performing onstage each night, but audiences experience a carefully produced show built around incredibly detailed digital recreations.
Other estates and artists have experimented with holograms and similar technology.
Dolly seems intrigued by the possibilities.
And she’s in an unusual position to try it.
Think about the visual history that already exists.
More than six decades of television appearances.
Concert footage.
Movies.
Music videos.
Interviews.
Thousands upon thousands of photographs.
And one of the most instantly recognizable looks in entertainment history.
If you’re going to build a digital performer, Dolly Parton gives you quite a bit to work with.
But there’s a larger reason the idea is interesting.
Dolly has spent years thinking about how her work will continue after she’s gone.
She famously recorded a song called “My Place in History” and locked it away at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort with instructions that it not be released until 2045.
She’s built Dollywood into an institution.
Her Imagination Library has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children.
And her songwriting catalog includes music that’s already survived generations.
An avatar concert would simply be another version of the same question:
What lasts?
There will undoubtedly be country fans who hate the idea.
For a genre that places enormous value on authenticity, watching a digital recreation of a performer can feel like the exact opposite of a live country show.
But imagine the alternative.
A kid born 50 years from now could potentially walk into a theater and experience something designed to feel like seeing Dolly Parton in concert.
Not a tribute singer.
Not somebody playing Dolly in a musical.
Dolly.
Or at least a remarkably convincing digital version of her.
Dolly hasn’t announced an actual avatar show yet, and the project is still described as being in development.
So nobody needs to start buying tickets to Hologram Dollywood just yet.
Still, if anybody can figure out how to make futuristic technology feel warm, funny and slightly covered in rhinestones…
It’s probably Dolly.
