Jelly Roll is speaking up for the many people who won’t in his newest track called “she.” The moving song, out now via Stoney Creek Records/BMG, finds the in-depth singer/songwriter, 37, shedding light on the serious subject of drug addiction.
In the song, Jelly Roll, who isn’t afraid to pull back the curtain on real-life tough situations through hard-hitting lyrics and what he calls ‘therapeutic music,’ shares the unfortunate story of a woman who falls deep into a never-ending pattern of substance abuse. Despite having a circle of friends and loved ones, who care for her, the female character in the song overindulges her drug use and becomes too far gone before anyone can save her from herself.
“She was the life of the party / She was the one everybody / Used to wanna hang around / I bet they wonder where she is now / I wish I woulda known / Beforе she was too far gone / I’m afraid to lose hеr now / She’s afraid of comin’ down,” Jelly Roll sings throughout the chorus of the heartbreaking yet realistic song over a melody that fuses his signature blend of country and rock.
“I don’t wanna say goodbye / But she can’t get herself to stop,” the genre-bending star continues in the second verse. “I know that it’ll take some time / But I’m scared that might be something that we don’t got.”
Opening up about “she” in a press release, Jelly Roll said, “‘she’ is about the struggle of addiction. ‘she’ is talking about the elephant in the room and addressing head on the heroin and fentanyl epidemic that is sweeping the nation; the pharmaceutical pill problem that is sweeping the nation, and has been for a long time. I feel like it’s an artist’s responsibility to speak for those who sometimes can’t always speak for themselves.”
Further increasing awareness on the topic of addiction, Jelly Roll has partnered with Shatterproof, which according to a press release, is “a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the addiction crisis and the devastation caused by the disease of addiction.” Sadly, 11 is the number of people who die every hour from a drug overdose. And according to The Washington Post, more Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 than in any previous year.
“She,” which blew up on TikTok ahead of its release, follows an array of songs, including Jelly Roll’s top 10 country radio hit “Son of a Sinner” and his multi-week No. 1 on rock radio, “Dead Man Walking.” The track also comes ahead of Jelly Roll’s upcoming sold-out headlining hometown show, which will take place on Dec. 9 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Proceeds from the Tennessee native’s highly anticipated show at Bridgestone Arena will go toward creating a recording studio that will be housed in the Davidson County juvenile detention center, where the former addict and drug dealer turned star once served time. Funds from ticket sales will also be used to assist underserved and at-risk youth surrounding the community.
In celebration of “she,” fans can look for a music video to follow. The accompanying video, featuring actress Danielle Macdonald, is slated to premiere on Friday (Dec. 2) at 7:00 pm EST and will follow a Livestream from Jelly Roll on YouTube.
