This Tennessee Mom Just Released a Duet With Dolly Parton—Read All About Her ‘Pinch Me’ Moment!
A single mom’s duet with Dolly Parton shows it’s never too late to chase your dreams—hear her story!
They say not to meet your heroes, but one gifted musician didn’t have much of a choice when one day, while having a visit at her mother’s friend’s house, in walked one of the biggest names in country music, Dolly Parton. Demaree, a single mom of two kids living in Tennessee, has been putting in the work in the music world for decades, first bringing to life the role of Cosette in Les Miserables on Broadway at just 8 years old. Additional stage roles followed throughout her youth, including parts in The Secret Garden musical, Big: The Musical and even the ever-iconic Wicked.
These days, however, though her talent hasn’t gone anywhere and she continues to share her voice with the world when she can, juggling motherhood, her job and her music career can be tough. “I have a full-time office job, and I’m a single mom to two kids,” Demaree told News Channel 5 Nashville. “It’s been a challenge to fit music into that. It has been a very long journey for me. I am older. I am unsigned. I’m an independent artist. Fitting it in when I can, I can barely get into different writes around town, cause I’m nobody! There were people in my life who told me, ‘You need to give this up. You’re too old.’ I said, ‘Maybe I am being foolish. I’m way past my prime.'”
In spite of the naysayers, Demaree has taught her two kids quite the lesson in perseverance, one that has shown them not to lose sight of their dreams, and it all started with someone her mom had met while at work.
Demaree gets the surprise of a lifetime
While at work one day, Demaree’s mom connected with a woman named Judy Ogle, and one day, when she and her mom were sitting in Ogle’s kitchen, the familiar sound of a very famous voice came floating through the home. In walked none other than Dolly Parton—Ogles’ best friend—who was popping in for a visit.
Demaree was stunned, but her shock was soon replaced by embarrassment when her mom revealed to Dolly that it was her daughter’s dream to sing a duet with her. Her response? “‘Tell me all about it.’” And the rest is history!
On January 24, Demaree released a cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”—featuring none other than Dolly Parton herself. The song, which comes from the musical Carousel, holds a special place in her heart as it brought comfort to her mom as a teenager when her own mother passed away—and singing it alongside one of her idols just gives it a whole new meaning.
“I am so thankful that God has seen me through some really difficult times and for every person he brought into my life to walk alongside me,” Demaree wrote in a post shared to her Instagram. “This opportunity and song are a testament to God’s faithfulness. I hope it encourages your hearts and reminds you that you truly never walk alone!”
Here, listen to the new duet!
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