Bebe Rexha Says Dolly Parton Kindly Declined Recording a Duet That Referenced 'Heaven and Hell'
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"She didn't want to go into that energy," said Rexha, who ultimately recorded an empowering duet with Parton called "Seasons" on her new album
It took some time for Bebe Rexha and Dolly Parton to decide on a song to record together.
In a recent interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Rexha revealed that she sent the country superstar a song referencing religious themes — which Parton kindly declined recording — before they eventually recorded the empowering "Seasons" for her new album, Bebe.
"I tried hitting up her manager a lot," said Rexha, 33, of pitching the idea of a collaboration to Parton's team. "They were like, 'Hey, OK, sure. Send us the song, but we need it on a CD.' And I was like, 'I don't know how to make a CD.' But she's so sweet."
"I had another song prior to ['Seasons'], and it was a song about heaven and hell and stuff like that, and she was like, 'I can't.' She wrote me a handwritten letter telling me about why she doesn't want to sing about heaven and hell," continued the "I'm Good (Blue)" singer-songwriter.
Clarkson chimed in, saying, "She didn't want to invest in that kind of conversation."
"She didn't want to go into that energy, so then I sent her 'Seasons,' and she loved it, and then a week later she sent me her verse," explained Rexha.
Parton, 77, previously detailed her religious beliefs in her 2021 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. "I'm not that religious, but I'm very, very spiritual. I grew up in very religious surroundings," she wrote, per Distractify. "I grew up with a Bible background, and I'm glad I did. I know my Bible stories."
In an interview with PEOPLE earlier this month, Rexha opened up about her experience working with the "Jolene" musician on "Seasons."
"I've always wanted to work with Dolly Parton. She is an inspiration to me, not just as an artist, but as a human — and a songwriter as well," she said at the time. "She's an incredible songwriter, and I was always so in awe of her because she's able to write these incredible, massive songs for other artists and then also have her own career."
Rexha also said she "cried" upon first hearing Parton's voice on the track. "It's so beautiful. I just love how I'm talking about life and change [in the song], and she talks about it from her standpoint," added the Grammy nominee. "It's two women at different ages, and we're still going through the same thing and trying to figure out this thing called life."
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