Rising Country Star Belles on Dueting with Dolly Parton and the Advice That Changed Her Life (Exclusive)
Meet the country artist behind ‘Son of Jolene’—and find out what Dolly taught her!
Key Takeaways
- Rising country artist Belles moved from Nebraska to Nashville to pursue her music career.
- Belles' duet with Dolly Parton on “Son of Jolene” became one of Dolly’s final collabs.
- Dolly gave Belles’ life-changing advice: follow your “God gut” and choose opportunities wisely.
Sometimes chasing a dream takes you farther than you imagined. For singer-songwriter Belles, the journey led her from Nebraska to Nashville and, eventually, to Dolly Parton. “In my heart, I always knew I wanted to do music,” Belles tells Woman’s World. “There was this moment in 2018 where I thought, If I don’t do this now, I don’t know if I ever will.”
In the years that followed, Belles wrote hundreds of songs and continued playing live across the country. But she never expected that one of those songs would land her a duet with Dolly…a duet that would become one of the final collaborations of Dolly’s legendary 60-plus year career.
Recently, Woman’s World sat down with Belles at Starstruck Studios on Nashville’s famed Music Row to discuss her rising country career and her song “Son of Jolene.” Plus, we discussed what it was really like working with Dolly, the life-changing advice the icon gave her and what’s coming up next in Belles’ world.
Where it all began: ‘It was always a passion’
Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Belles grew up surrounded by music—literally. “I have a very musical family,” she says. “My grandma was a jazz singer in Chicago and my mom and her three sisters were a pop vocal harmony group. Growing up, I’d be backstage watching them do vocal warm-ups, writing songs and recording and I just knew it was a passion of mine, too.”
At first, her family—who knew all too well the turbulence of the music industry—was cautious. “The industry is just so hard and they knew that firsthand,” she says. “I think they were hesitant to watch me go through that. But unfortunately, or fortunately, I was just obsessed. In kindergarten, they asked the class, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I raised my hand and said, ‘A singer-songwriter.’ There was really no turning back.”
When it comes to specific musical influences, Belles remembers country playing in the house constantly growing up. “My mom grew up loving country. And my grandfather was obsessed with Dolly,” she says. “We’d always listen to her and Loretta Lynn, especially their trio album [Honky Tonk Angels], Shania, The Chicks. Wide Open Spaces is one of my favorite albums of all time. This music was always playing and it really impacted me. I started singing at a young age and everyone was like, ‘You sound like a country singer.’”
In late 2018, at just 19 years old, Belles packed up and made the trek to Tennessee. She immersed herself in the local scene, attending nightly writers’ rounds and meeting a core group of fellow musicians and writers, thanks in part to friends from her hometown country radio station, KAT 103.7, who helped her make some key connections.
The song that changed it all: ‘It just kind of fell out of the sky’
In the fall of 2024, Belles was touring the country with her opening act, Trevor Martin. “He’s an incredible artist,” she says. “His mom came out to a show one night and his mom’s name is Jolene. I was struck by it—I had never met anyone named Jolene before.”
She kept thinking of Dolly’s iconic 1973 hit “Jolene,” and it inspired an idea. “The next day in the van, I just turned to him and I was like, ‘Trevor, you should write a song about being the son of Jolene.’ He was like, ‘Ah, I don’t really know if I would write that.’ So I was like, ‘Well, would you care if I took a stab at it?’ And he said, ‘Sure.’”
In the music writing world, the irony is that all the best songs are the ones written quickly and effortlessly. Like magic. And that was true with “Son of Jolene.”
“So that next week, I wrote this song with two of my best friends here in Nashville that I’ve known for years, Dan Harrison and Tyler Bank,” she recalls. “We just sat down and wrote this song literally in 40 minutes. It just kind of fell out of the sky.”
They say ‘don’t meet your heroes’—but Dolly was the exception
Belles’ song “Son of Jolene” opens with a haunting melody and sweeping pedal steel that complements the sweetness of her vocals. Lyrically, the song was written as a sequel to Dolly’s “Jolene.” But her team had one idea before it was released.
“My amazing publisher Stephanie Greene got the song to Dolly’s longtime producer, Kent Wells, and somehow Dolly heard it and loved it so much she wanted to sing on it. I couldn’t believe it.”
Belles says meeting Dolly was a turning point in her life in more ways than one. “She was a ray of pure sunshine,” Belles, full name Kelli Rachel Belles, remembers.
“The day we met in person we shot a bunch of videos together. We got to sing harmonies together and I was so nervous. I think I blacked out the first five minutes. Literally, I watched that footage back, and I don’t even remember the first couple minutes. But she was just so kind and so much fun—it was one of the best days of my life.”
The song, which is a character-driven continuation of Dolly’s hit, impressed the country icon from the start. “When I heard ‘Son of Jolene,’ I thought it was very clever,” she told People. “No one had ever thought of it that way.”
Two things Dolly told Belles that she’ll never forget
Dolly’s boundless talent was only matched by her boundless generosity in everything she did—from donating books to millions of children to investing in medical research and giving young country artists a chance. “Her generosity was one of the things I loved most about Dolly,” Belles reflects. “She had no idea who I was, but she heard something in the song and took a chance on me. She gave me such an incredible gift.” Dolly was also known to give wise advice and that’s something Belles can attest to.
“She shared two pieces of advice that have really stuck with me, especially now,” she says. “Firstly, she told me to always follow my ‘God gut.’ And I love that. Then, she told me that there are a lot of chances in this world, so don’t sacrifice your character or your beliefs for a chance that you’re not sure about because there will be another one.”
“When you’re trying to accomplish a dream as an artist, it’s kind of like a ‘say yes to everything’ attitude,” she explains. “And I’ve had that for years. It’s very hard for me to say no, but after a certain point it becomes more important what you say ‘no thanks’ to than what you say yes to—and she really taught me that.”
Charting songs, new singles and carrying Dolly’s legacy forward
The moment the news of Dolly’s passing became public, Belles was in the middle of a radio interview. “I was in shock and heartbroken,” she recalls. “She meant the world to me.”
In the weeks since, Belles has found comfort in the outpouring of love for Dolly from around the world. “It’s been so beautiful to see how many lives she touched. I just feel so grateful to be a small part of her incredible legacy. I’ll keep that with me.”
Then in mid September, “Son of Jolene” debuted at No. 51 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The song drew more than a million listeners—up 68% from the week prior. And Belles’ debut album, Midwestern, releases on October 16. Her newest single off the forthcoming album, “Everything But Over You,” is out today and it’s one of her “favorites” on the record. “I’ve been working on this project for almost two years and it’s been such a labor of love,” she says. “I’m so proud of this project and can’t wait for everyone to hear it. It’s been a long time coming.”
When asked how she’ll honor Dolly going forward, Belles’ answer is immediate. “Honestly, I’m just gonna continue to do what I think Dolly would do,” she says. “I just hope that I can make her proud with everything I do going forward.”
For more information on Belles’ upcoming music, visit BellesMusic.com and follow her on Instagram @bellesmusic.
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