Elle King Calls Country Music Her "Truest Authentic Self" Following Dolly Parton Tribute Backlash
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Elle King Calls Country Music Her "Truest Authentic Self" Following Dolly Parton Tribute Backlash

Elle King is preparing her sophomore album in country music, speaking on much the genre means to her. King has become a controversial figure in the industry after becoming apparently intoxicated at a Dolly Parton tribute concert. Her antics rubbed many fans the wrong way, leading to intense backlash online.

Speaking with Audacy, King said her new album is coming soon. She also expressed the freedom that she loved about the genre. It remains to be seen how the album ultimately performs given recent events. "What I love about Country is the fact that I can be my truest, authentic self musically, spiritually and I can kind of give fans a bit more of a glimpse into my life," she shared. "There's a lot that people don't know about me and I think that using music as a cathartic way to share with the world about who I am and where I come from and how I feel about things is the way that I can express myself best."

Of course, King has already addressed the elephant in the room in past social media posts. She said that Parton has forgiven her for what happened. "To everyone sending me love because I'm human and already talked to Dolly, I love you," King wrote on social media."To everyone who told me to k*ll myself, I love you too."

Elle King Garners Backlash at Dolly Parton Tribute

King appeared visibly intoxicated when she appeared at a Grand Ole Opry tribute concert for Parton's birthday. The singer appeared to not know many of the lyrics to Parton's classics.

"This is fast. This s—- is f—-ing fast. How'd Dolly sing this s—-?" King said onstage. "I don't know the lyrics to these things in this f—-ing town. Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday."

"Everyone's like, holy s—-, we bought tickets for this s—-?" King continued. "I'm not even going to f—-ing lie, y'all bought tickets for this s—-? You ain't getting your money back."

After the show, Parton said that she didn't hold any hard feelings towards King. She felt the singer was going through a difficult period in her life and said King instantly regretted her actions.

"Elle is really a great artist," Parton said. "She's a great girl, and she's been going through a lot of hard things lately. She just had a little too much to drink, so let's just forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause she felt worse than anyone ever could."