Could a revamped female empowerment anthem from Dolly Parton and “Mr. Worldwide” himself be the collaboration country fans never knew they needed?
In mid-February, Pitbull quietly put out a song called “Powerful Women,” an uptempo but emotional salute to everything his working-class mother accomplished when he was a child. There’s something awfully familiar about the track, though: That’s right, it samples Parton’s iconic 1980 working woman’s anthem, “9 to 5.”
But the twists and turns don’t stop there. “Powerful Women” includes Parton singing the chorus of “9 to 5,” and it sounds like a fresh recording of the song — plus, the country legend contributes a new verse or two, even trying her hand at rapping.
“Here’s to your mama and here’s to mine,” Parton raps in one portion of the song. “Mama worked hard her entire life / She had 12 kids at 35 / Working 24/7 365 / Working 5 to 9 and 9 to 5.“
On Saturday (March 2), Pitbull and Dolly jointly posted a photo of themselves together on Instagram, with Pitbull also sharing a video that explained a little bit of the story behind their meeting in Nashville.
“It’s an honor to be collaborating with one of country music’s most powerful women,” he wrote. “Gracias [Dolly Parton]!”
It’s not a huge surprise that “Powerful Women” slipped under the radar: It came out on Feb. 16, on the heels of a few huge country crossover news items. The first of those happened at the Grammy Awards early that month, when Taylor Swift announced her new studio album, The Tortured Poet’s Department.
Related: Dolly Parton Shares Her Thoughts on Beyoncé’s Country Album
Swift — who transitioned from country to pop years ago, but still holds some roots in the country genre — continued to dominate the news cycle the following weekend when she attended the Super Bowl to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — and the Chiefs won. That same night, Beyoncé announced her country album.
Parton, of course, is no stranger to an out-of-genre collab. Last November, she released her first-ever rock album, Rockstar, including team-ups with legends like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Elton John, Debbie Harry, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and many more.
For his part, it’s not Pitbull’s first foray into the country genre. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, he teamed up with Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Trace Adkins.
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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak