Poignant Release as Queen of Country Sings Jolene in Welsh
FEW songs in country music are more instantly recognisable than Jolene.
Now, more than half a century after Dolly Parton first recorded it, the song has acquired an extraordinary new chapter — in Welsh.
A new bilingual version of Jolene, featuring Welsh singer-songwriter Bronwen Lewis, Dolly Parton’s niece Jada Star and Parton herself, has been released today, October 9. It was recorded before Parton’s death in August and is being described as her second posthumous single.
The story began not in Nashville, but in Wales.
Neath-born Bronwen Lewis, a Welsh speaker and lifelong Dolly Parton fan, began translating some of her favourite songs into Welsh and sharing them online.
Around two years ago she posted her own Welsh-language version of Jolene.
The video went viral.
And eventually it reached Dolly Parton’s family.
Parton’s niece, singer-songwriter Jada Star, saw the performance after it was circulated among relatives and was so taken with it that she contacted Lewis directly.
That online connection developed into a friendship.
Star travelled from Nashville to Wales, where she and Lewis spent time together and later performed at Pride Cymru.
Star has spoken warmly about that visit, saying she learned more about her family’s Welsh heritage while exploring the country with Lewis.
Then came the idea that turned an internet cover into something much bigger.
Why not record Jolene properly in Welsh?
And why not ask Aunt Dolly?
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The Queen of Country joins in
Lewis has described the moment she discovered that Parton wanted to take part as almost unbelievable.
Parton recorded her contribution at her studio in Nashville, after being supplied with guidance on the Welsh pronunciation, while Lewis and Star recorded their sections in the UK.
The finished version combines Welsh and English.
More remarkably, BBC Radio 2 has described it as the only time Dolly Parton ever recorded in a foreign language.
For Bronwen Lewis, that makes the collaboration particularly extraordinary.
A Welsh-language cover uploaded to social media ultimately led to one of the biggest names in popular music singing in Cymraeg.
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A song with an unexpected Welsh journey
The original Jolene was released in 1973 and became one of Parton’s signature compositions.
Its simple but unforgettable plea to another woman not to take her man has since been covered by artists across genres and generations.
But this particular version is about more than simply translating a famous song.
It connects Nashville and Wales through language, friendship and family history.
Parton had spoken previously about Welsh ancestry on her mother’s side of the family, through the Owens line. Her niece’s visit to Wales deepened that connection and became part of the inspiration behind the collaboration.
For Lewis, meanwhile, the project brings together two things that have clearly mattered throughout her career: Welsh-language music and a lifelong admiration for Dolly Parton.
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A poignant release
The recording was completed before Parton’s death on August 25, 2026.
That gives today’s release an emotional weight nobody involved in the project could originally have intended.
Lewis has spoken publicly about how profoundly Parton influenced her love of singing and songwriting, while Star has described the collaboration as a privilege.
What began as something joyful has therefore also become part of Parton’s musical legacy.
And in Wales, it carries another significance.
For one of the most famous voices in country music to sing in Welsh — however briefly — provides an extraordinary global showcase for the language.
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From Neath to Nashville
There is something wonderfully unlikely about the route this recording took.
A Welsh singer in Neath translates a Dolly Parton classic.
She uploads it online.
It reaches Nashville.
Dolly Parton’s niece makes contact.
A friendship begins.
A visit to Wales follows.
And eventually Dolly Parton herself is sitting in a Nashville studio learning how to sing in Welsh.
In an age when Welsh-language music can travel instantly around the world, perhaps that journey should not feel quite as surprising as it does.
But it still makes for a remarkable story.
And today, listeners can finally hear the result.
Jolene — in Welsh, English and with Dolly herself joining in.
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Did Ewe Know?
Dolly Parton is said to have written Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day in 1973 — two songs that went on to become among the most famous compositions of her long career.