
ANDY POLLITT
Singer-songwriter Jelly Roll knows a thing or two about the power of change.
From a turbulent past with multiple incarcerations throughout his teens and early 20s to selling out 58 arenas in a 13-week time span, Jelly Roll is a living, breathing, powerhouse-singing example of what change can look like when inner work is done, and hope is not lost. But as different as the four-time Grammy nominee’s life may look now, it’s Jelly Roll’s unwavering commitment to being his authentically honest self that has made him the hitmaking household name he is today. And the Antioch native’s love of music has been there every step of the way, even before he knew he would change lives through his.
“To have not one musician in our household, man we loved it. It’s kind of crazy, we were the family that loved music, we spread music, we shared music, but not a soul could carry a tune in the bucket. We’re the only non- musical, music family I’ve ever met,” Jelly Roll laughs. “[Realizing music could be a career], that came in waves. But I think I always had a dream to spread my message through it.”
Although he initially began his music career in hip-hop and rap, Jelly Roll proves that if the message resonates, genres are not a limitation. In fact, the way he sees it, he’s always been a country artist at heart. He just didn’t realize it.
“I think maybe I was always writing country songs; I was just rapping them. If you think about three chords and the truth and just telling the story of the average American, I think that’s kind of what I was always doing. I might have started singing way sooner if I would have known I could sing,” he says. “I still have moments now where I’m like, ‘Damn, I can sing.’ I’m still realizing it and I’m excited.”
He puts it humbly, but to say that Jelly Roll can sing would be a massive understatement. With an emotional 2023 CMA Award win for New Artist of the Year, plus three 2024 CMA Award nominations for Album, Entertainer, and Male Vocalist of the Year, four Grammy nominations to date, and countless accolades to his name, Jelly Roll’s voice has captured the attention of fans and industry giants alike.
But before earning mainstream praise for his No. 1 hit "Son of a Sinner” off of his 2021 album Ballads of the Broken – which inspired him to fully embrace his country sound on his following 2023 debut country album Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll spent years selling music from the back of a van; penning multiple independently released albums, EPs, and mixtapes; and most importantly, building a foundation for the genuine way he would continue connecting with his fans for years to come.

Andy Pollitt
“We did it initially the old way. We were hand-to-hand artists forever, right here in town. I think because of that, we carried that into the digital era, and I believe in not having a fourth wall at all. I’m always all access, all the time. My wife posts in our living room daily. I think that’s been a big part of the connection,” he says.
And his music itself is just as impactful as the transparent way he delivers it.
“Messages are received different when it comes from your own,” says Jelly Roll. “Our message has never really been shared with the world, but definitely not by one of us. I even think about films. I want to get into films because every time I’ve ever seen Southern culture in films, they either overdid it or under-did it. You never really got to see poor, Southern culture the way I think it actually is. So, I think people see that in me. I tell people all the time, I might not look like the guy next door, but I represent that guy in a weird way. I represent somebody’s cousin, even if not in look, in texture of somebody who’s a second-chance person, or somebody who came from nothing. I represent so many of those little things that come from where I’m from that I think people see it on a big scale.”
At the heart of it all, and perhaps one of the leading qualities that catapulted Jelly Roll to stardom, is honesty. Both in his songwriting and in his personal life, it’s a trait that is essential to his distinctive sound, and what keeps fans selling out show after show, streaming his music by the billions, and seeing themselves in his music when they feel most alone.
“Everything that transpired in my music came as a direct result of what happened in my heart. I want to be more honest with people. I want to create more honest conversations. I got tired of small talk. I want more meaningful conversation in my life. That just all registered with the music,” he explains. “Hearing stories has also been my new muse. I’m not writing my story anymore, I probably quit writing my story a few albums ago. It’s what I’m seeing and breathing every night in the arenas, meeting these people and hearing the stories of these people. I’m writing for a group of people who have never been spoken for.”
Fans are certainly feeling that sense of recognition on Jelly Roll’s latest album, Beautifully Broken, released this past October. The chart-topping album features 22 devastatingly beautiful, honest songs, including his hit single “I Am Not Okay,” which earned the star two 2025 Grammy nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. It’s a powerful song with a message that so many can relate to, and the proof is in the charts.
“‘I Am Not Okay’ is in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 and it has been for 20-something weeks since it came out. When you look at it in the Top 20, it just sticks out like a sore thumb a little bit. It clearly is different and for that message to be in critical mass, I think, is huge. A message of, ‘I’m not okay, but we’re all gonna be alright,’ connecting with critical mass that way, it’s kind of crazy,” Jelly Roll says.
Nationwide, fans got to embrace that message live on Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken Tour, his largest headlining tour to date. He closed the wildly successful tour with a heartfelt homecoming at Bridgestone Arena on November 26, and it’s no surprise that Music City gave one of their own a very warm welcome home. Returning to Bridgestone for the first time since his 2022 show, it was an evening that felt nothing short of spiritual, with stunning production, powerful vocals, vulnerable lyrics, and a whole lot of fun. The sold-out arena was filled with hometown friends and famous faces alike, with guest appearances, including Keith Urban, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Skylar Grey, and Alexandra Kay. And just when it seemed the energy in the crowd reached a fever pitch, fans got an unforgettable surprise appearance from hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, who joined Jelly Roll for an electrifying four-song mini-set.
“I woke up [the morning of the Bridgestone show] and I was thinking: 13 weeks ago today, I started my first show on August 27 in Salt Lake City. I performed at 58 sold-out arenas since then, in the course of those 13 weeks. I was just trying to encapsulate the magnitude of how big these 13 weeks have been. Then I thought about playing Bridgestone in December of 2022, then I started getting real covered in emotion because this is not about a tour, this is two years of me putting out two albums kind of back-to- back. I have been nonstop from Bridgestone to Bridgestone. It’s almost like I started this tour at Bridgestone two years ago and I’m ending this tour – two albums later, technically three tours later – back at Bridgestone,” Jelly Roll says. “It was very poetic. The more I look at it, this whole shit has been a fairytale. It’s a movie. I hope they make it one day.”
After so much work and time on the road, Jelly Roll originally planned to take some well- deserved time off from touring America in 2025. But luckily for fans, when an opportunity arises, Jelly Roll isn’t one to turn it down. This year, he’ll be joining Post Malone on his Big Ass Stadium Tour, kicking off in April.
“It didn’t even seem real how fast the tour came together. Post hit me and was like, ‘We should tour,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m always in, anytime.’ Sure enough, the next day Live Nation hit management and said they want to do Jelly on his tour. From us agreeing to it, to announcing it was like 12 days, it was crazy,” he laughs. “What’s even funnier is I planned on taking next year off [from touring], so the cool thing is if you wanted to see me next year, you can now. It worked out perfectly. Go Post; shoutout to Post.”
And that’s not all the superstar has on the horizon, he’s also adding his name to the list of famous faces on Broadway with the upcoming opening of his downtown bar, Jelly Roll’s Goodnight Nashville. As the first Nashville native with a Broadway bar, it’s a milestone that means a lot.
“I hope people who are from Nashville feel the way I felt about my name being on that building. It just feels like one of our own is finally getting a piece of our own. I’m the first Nashville kid to have a bar. It’s a big deal,” Jelly Roll says. “And I love where it’s at. The local kid in me got the best of both worlds because I’m on Broadway, but I’m almost to the corner of Second and Broadway. When I was your age, Second Avenue is where we would party. So, to me, I’m kind of the corner of what is the new Nashville party of Broadway and what is the second coming of Second Avenue. I’m glad to be right there.”
As far as the bar’s atmosphere and design goes, visitors can expect the same authenticity and genuine nature Jelly Roll is known and loved for. Rest assured, there will be no stereotypical old wood paneling in sight ( Jelly’s orders!). What you will find is a feel-good place where locals and famous friends alike can enjoy an evening out feeling comfortable and welcome.
“It’s multilayered; different themes per layer of the honkytonk. We put a lot of time into the art and design of it. I refused to let anybody be cheap about it or cliché. I don’t want this to reek of any other local bar,” he says. “It was also important to me to have a private bar there and it’s named after my late father; it’s called Buddy’s Backroom. It’ll be open to the public for limited times a day to come and enjoy, but it’s kind of a speakeasy cigar bar. I wanted to create a safe space for my artist friends or people who might want to go out and have a night not as crazy. I know a lot of locals that want to go to Broadway without the headache, and I think Buddy’s will provide an opportunity for us to do that for our local people, too.”
Everything he has accomplished and all the exciting ventures to come are a testament to Jelly Roll’s character and resilience. Keeping hope alive and leading by example to help instill that hope in others is what continues to inspire him. Because as much as things may change, his message stays the same.
“I would tell my younger self that it’s a blip on the radar right now. Don’t overthink it, you’re just in a very small season of your life. I would tell my 30-year-old self that, not even just my 12-year- old self. I would go back and tell 33-year-old Jason, ‘Just relax. You’re not going to conquer the world today; take your time.’That would be my biggest message: remain hopeful,” Jelly Roll says. “I’ve lost 100 lbs. [in 2024] and I’m going to lose another 100 this year. I’m really going to focus on a big transformation. There was a big change that happened in my heart over the years, multiple changes, but my body hadn’t caught up to the change in my heart yet, and it’s catching up. Once I look like the change that people know has happened, I expect the message to be more received. That’s the goal.”