His past may serve as a cautionary tale, but Jelly Roll takes solace in knowing his present-day has become a motivator for many.
In Us Weekly’s “Country Stars Love America” issue, the “Save Me” singer, 39, looked back on his whirlwind year and recalled how his past — which included being in and out of jail for a decade — led him to becoming a chart-topper. “There were moments in my life that were so dark, there was absolutely no hope or sense of there being something else [other than] that,” Jelly Roll (real name: Jason Bradley DeFord) told Us. “I wouldn’t have known to dream anything otherwise, and definitely not to the extent of what the past year alone has brought.”
And what a year it’s been: Since 2023, Jelly Roll has won multiple awards, celebrated opening a recording studio in his former juvenile detention center and testified in Washington, D.C. about the dangers of fentanyl. Yet, he had an enlightening moment on June 6, when he performed at CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium — which shares a parking lot with the juvenile detention center he spent time in as a teenager — in Nashville.
“I could hear the football games and the concerts from the cell I was in, and I just headlined a show for more than 50,000 people, and hosted the CMA Fest TV special there,” he shared. “I was standing in the same exact place [at] a completely different place in life.”
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“I don’t know if there is a moment of more perspective than that to illustrate how different my life could have been and how different it is now,” the “I Am Not Okay” singer continued.
According to the musician, the awards and accolades mean nothing if he’s not using his platform to pay it forward. “I want to let people know they are not alone in what they are going through, and that there is something ahead that can be so much greater than what you could have imagined if you are able to commit to making the change you need to,” he told Us. “I want to keep reminding people the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.”
“Music granted [me] purpose and enabled me to reach people,” he added. “I hope my story inspires them to find whatever that is for them.”
Here, Jelly Roll recounts his recent incredible run in his own words before hitting the road for the Beautifully Broken Tour, kicking off August 27.
