As usual, Dolly Parton looks fantastic co-hosting the 2022 ACM Awards alongside 2021's New Artists of the Year, Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett. From her sparkling outfits to her hair, Parton looks every bit the superstar she is alongside two of the most popular rising stars of country music. Outside of her hosting duties, the country legend took the Las Vegas stage to perform her new song, "Big Dreams and Faded Jeans."
"Big Dreams and Faded Jeans" is the first single from Parton's new album Run Rose Run, which was written alongside her debut novel (also called Run Rose Run). She co-wrote the novel with renowned writer James Patterson. The song (and novel) is all about a young singer who moves the Music City to pursue her dreams of becoming a star so the lyrics perfectly sum up the inspiring story you'll get in the book — "Nashville is the place to be for big dreams and faded jeans."
Read More: Dolly Parton Wants to Play a Role in a Movie Version of Her Book 'Run, Rose, Run'
After Dolly kicked off her new upbeat country rock song on Allegiant Stadium's stage, Kelsea Ballerini hopped in to finish the rest of the song with the superstar. But this wasn't a random collaboration for the sake of the show. Ballerini was tapped by Parton to read the role of Run Rose Run's character AnnieLee in the audiobook. She is the protégé of the character Parton will be reading and we can only hope that there will be plenty of moments where we get to hear the two sing together.
While Parton isn't actually nominated for anything at this year's ACM Awards, Ballerini was nominated for Music Event of the Year for "half of my hometown," which features Kenny Chesney.
See the full list of 2022 ACM Award winners here.
The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards) take place on Mon., March 7 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The show airs exclusively on Amazon Prime starting at 8 p.m. EST. Check Wide Open Country for full coverage before, during and after the broadcast.
