Country legend Dolly Parton just withdrew herself from consideration for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the most polite way.
After being nominated for induction into the prestigious institution, Parton took to Instagram to share why she must respectfully decline. “Dolly here!” she wrote in an Instagram statement posted on Monday, March 14. “Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated…I don’t feel that I have earned that right.”
Parton continued, “I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out. I do hope that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again—if I’m ever worthy. This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock ’n’ roll record at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do.”
She also cited her husband’s love of the genre, a rare peek at her marriage, which she usually keeps almost entirely out of the public eye. “My husband is a total rock ’n’ roll freak,” she continued before the post’s conclusion. “I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment! Rock on!”
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The nomination and induction process for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame is a bit complicated and intentionally obscure. There is an ongoing debate on the parameters of the genre, and this year’s class of nominees includes a wide variety of artists, from Eminem to Lionel Richie to Parton herself.
For more about the institution’s history and controversies, I highly recommend the amusing podcast Who Cares About the Rock Hall? To put it simply, the nominating committee is given a lot of leeway when considering what acts are “rock” and can nominate artists as many times as they want.