Reba McEntire expected to be on the road this year, something she has done almost consistently for more than 40 years. Of course, her tour plans — along with the plans of every other artist — had to be canceled or postponed because of COVID-19, forcing the 65-year-old to fill her time in other ways.
“I miss being on stage the most, but I love being at home,” Reba told People. “I’ve not had this much time off, I guess, since I was in college, so I love it. I’m totally busy all the time, but it’s a different kind of busy.”
One of the ways Reba is keeping busy is with her new podcast, Living & Learning with Reba McEntire, airing on Spotify.
“It was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be, but after listening to the sessions that we’ve done already, I’m very proud of it,” boasted the singer. “It’s very entertaining — and educational.”
Reba was joined on her podcast by two of her close friends, Dolly Parton and former Reba co-star, Melissa Peterman.
“Dolly is so funny,” Reba said. “She’s so witty. She came up with some of the best one-liners. She said, ‘A loose tongue can lead to broken teeth,’ and ‘Never ignore your roots — your home or your hair.’ And Melissa gave her this big introduction, and Dolly said, ‘I’m not all that. I’m not even all there.’ Who comes up with this clever stuff?”
Reba has had enough awards and accolades, not to mention successes at radio and with album sales, to be able to stop working, but like Dolly, she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
“Dolly and I talked about this several years ago — about retiring — and she looked at me and said, ‘I like to stay busy. I like to do things. I like to be around people,'” Reba recalled. “So we totally agree in all aspects of loving our jobs.”
Reba is part of Thomas Rhett‘s “Be a Light,” which recently became his 16th No. 1 hit — and means Reba has had a No. 1 song in five consecutive decades. She also joins Dolly, George Jones and Willie Nelson in being one of only four country artists to have five decades of Top 10 hits.
“I started counting up, and I said, ‘I don’t think that’s right, and they said, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right,'” Reba said. :It makes you feel really good. I’m very thankful that I’ve had the career I’ve had.”