Julianne Hough Says Dolly Parton's Advice to 'Always Stay the Artist That You Are' Was a Lesson That 'Hit Me So Hard'

Julianne Hough remembered a lesson from Dolly Parton, which she admitted, "Hit me so hard."

"I’ll never forget it. We were talking between scenes and she always was like, 'You know what? You remind me of myself. You always want to do all these different things… You have all these dreams and ambitions,' and she’s like, 'But just remember, always stay the artist that you are,'" Julianne said.

She joined her brother Derek Hough on his "Extra" podcast, where she fondly recalled memories with the iconic country singer.

Julianne reflected on how the conversation influenced the way she approached her career.

"I'm always trying to try different things and I love business and I love this and I love that, but really, my true nature is an artist," she shared.

"It was a lesson that I will constantly go back to remind myself, like, 'Are you staying true to yourself? Are you staying the artist that you are?'" she added.

Julianne’s connection with Dolly grew through Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings TV show, where she played Jolene in an episode inspired by one of the country icon's best-known songs.

"She never took herself too seriously, but took what she did very seriously," Julianne said.

The dancer and singer also held onto a personal keepsake from their time together.

"I took them off at the end of the night to give them back and she let me keep them, so I have Dolly earrings," she revealed.

"I always have that piece and that memory of Dolly with me," she continued.

Julianne first crossed paths with Dolly when the singer appeared as a guest on Dancing with the Stars.

"Specifically to have done that on Dancing with the Stars as my first interaction with Dolly and then to be called, I remember, she called me. I was in my office… She wanted to have herself with me to say she would love for me to play Jolene. I remember just being in tears," she told Derek.

Dolly also invited Julianne to write with her, an opportunity Julianne ultimately passed on, citing "imposter syndrome."

"I didn’t take her up on that offer to go and write with her and I’m kicking myself," she said.

Julianne also spoke about what made the singer such a memorable presence in her life.

"Just how beloved she was by every single person and walk of life and how different we all can be, and yet there was a common agreement that she is love, she is light, she is authentically true to herself, which makes other people feel safe to be around her," she said.

"She really is the true testament of those words," she concluded.