Queen Latifah, who has been primarily focused on her acting career in recent years, quietly collaborated with some massive country stars on a charity project, dropping a song on Friday, January 16.
Singing along with Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Miley Cyrus, and Lainey Wilson, the Last Holiday actress offered her vocals to a remake of Parton’s song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," which was originally released in 1977 on her album New Harvest…First Gathering, and has since been covered by artists across genres.
A surprising addition to the country group, Latifah’s vocals throughout the song add a meaningful layer of depth to the song. According to Parton’s YouTube channel, all the proceeds for the new release of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" will be going to a worthy cause. Parton, who lives around Nashville, Tennessee along with many other country music stars, will be donating the proceeds from the song to pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital within Vanderbilt, a Nashville institution.
While Latifah, 55, may seem like the odd-woman-out on the track, her relationship with Parton has lasted for years. After appearing together in the 2012 film Joyful Noise alongside Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan, Parton and Latifah have had a long-standing friendship. The former co-stars collaborated together on a duet in the film, a track called "Not Enough" that the pair have gone on to sing live together in the past.
With Parton’s newest release featuring some heavy hitters including Latifah, it appears their relationship is still going strong, even nearly 15 years later. The re-release of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," according to Parton, is meant to be a symbol of hope for all who listen. In bringing Latifah onto the project, Parton hopes to send a message of unity that runs deeper than some listeners may realize.