Lainey Wilson Had the iHeart Music Festival on Its Feet With “WWDD”, The Song She Wrote for Dolly Parton

Lainey Wilson stepped onto the iHeartRadio Music Festival stage Saturday night with a very special person on her mind — her hero, her friend, and the woman who inspired one of her most personal songs.

During the September 19 festival at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Wilson took a moment before performing “WWDD (What Would Dolly Do)” to speak about Dolly Parton and what she meant to her.

Wilson didn’t simply introduce the song.

She opened her heart.

“Dolly was my hero,” she told the crowd, describing Parton as “the lady that I looked to for everything.” She then reflected on what it was like to actually meet the woman she had admired for so long.

“They say never meet your heroes, but that did not count with Dolly Parton,” Wilson said. “She was better than I could have ever imagined.”

Then she had one simple request for the Las Vegas crowd:

“Let’s celebrate for Dolly Parton, y’all!”

And with that, Wilson launched into “WWDD.”

 

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THE SONG WAS WRITTEN FOR DOLLY

“WWDD” isn’t just another song in Wilson’s catalog.

She wrote the song specifically for Dolly Parton with Casey Beathard and Michael Heaney, and it appeared on Wilson’s 2021 major-label debut album, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. The recording was produced by Jay Joyce.

The title itself — “What Would Dolly Do?” — says so much about the influence Parton had on Wilson.

For Lainey, Dolly represented much more than a legendary country artist.

She represented the kind of person Wilson wanted to become.

Someone who could remain authentic while building an extraordinary career. Someone who could work hard, stay connected to her roots, and still make room for kindness along the way.

That made performing “WWDD” at the festival especially meaningful following Parton’s death on August 25.

But Wilson wasn’t finished.

THEN LAINEY SANG “9 TO 5”

After performing “WWDD,” Wilson continued the tribute by singing one of Dolly’s most recognizable songs — “9 to 5.”

It created a beautiful connection between two generations of country music.

First came a song Lainey wrote because of Dolly.

Then came one of Dolly’s own iconic anthems.

And together, the two performances allowed Wilson to celebrate the woman who had influenced her long before they ever became friends.

There was also something deeply personal about Wilson’s introduction.

She wasn’t talking about a distant musical legend.

She was talking about someone she had actually known and loved.

Someone she once looked to for guidance.

Someone she had described as being even better in person than she could have imagined.

A SONG WITH AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MEANING NOW

“WWDD” was written in 2021, long before anyone could have known how different it would feel to hear it in 2026.

Now, the question at the heart of the song carries a new kind of emotional weight.

What would Dolly do?

For Lainey Wilson, the answer has always been connected to the qualities she admired most in Parton — authenticity, generosity, determination, humor and heart.

And standing on that Las Vegas stage, Wilson gave fans a chance to remember Dolly through both her own words and the music that made her such an enduring influence.

Before she sang, Lainey asked the crowd to celebrate Dolly.

Then she did exactly that.

Not with a long goodbye, but with a song she wrote because of her — followed by one of Dolly’s greatest anthems. 🦋❤️

And for a few minutes in Las Vegas, Lainey Wilson made sure Dolly’s voice, spirit and music were still very much part of the room.