Dolly Parton on Miley Cyrus

“If I didn’t know how smart and talented Miley is, I might worry about her. But I’ve watched her grow up. So I don’t. She knows what she’s doing. She was very proud of the work she did as Hannah Montana, but people were gonna leave her there forever. And she was just smotherin’ and chokin’ in it. So she felt she had to do something completely drastic. And she did. She made her point, she made her mark, and more power to her. ‘Wrecking Ball’ is a great song. The whole album is great. So I’m hoping that now she can relax and show people how talented she really is. ’Cause the girl can write. The girl can sing. The girl is smart. And she doesn’t have to be so drastic. But I will respect her choices. I did it my way, so why can’t she do it her way?”

— It’s time for TIME’s annual Most Influential People issue, and the best entries this year are, obviously, the ones in which women write about other women they love (Emily Blunt on Amy Adams: “she’s silly and funny and dirty”). Here’s Dolly Parton waxin’ on her goddaughter, Miley. Beyoncé’s on the cover, in a bikini. [TIME]