I'll be honest in admitting that I knew very little about Dolly Parton, her career, or her backstory until I stumbled upon the documentary Dolly Parton - Here I Am on Netflix one afternoon.
I reckoned I would watch a few minutes to see if it's exciting and found myself an hour-and-a-half later having completed the film.
Initially released in 2019 by British director Francis Whately, it gives an in-depth look at the career of the 74-year-old singer, with archival footage, interviews with collaborators, and a sit-down interview with the icon herself. Sadly, there seems to have been very little hype around the film, not even an online trailer, which is such a shame because it's really a well-made and informative biographical documentary.
If I wasn't a fan before, I'm one now. Dolly, who wanted fame since she first took to the stage at the age of 10, has skillfully and diligently laboured to build her career in an industry and at a time when men were very much in control.
Her determination and belief in herself has resulted in not only incredible career milestones but also extremely successful business decisions that have paid off generously.
If you think Paris Hilton, who recently released her documentary This is Paris on YouTube, is the original queen of turning a ditsy blonde persona into an empire - think again. Dolly has been in the game much longer, and she knows precisely what she's doing.
