Jelly Roll is at the top of his game when it comes to music. But as 2022 comes to a close, he – as with people everywhere – is laying out his goals for 2023.
One of those goals is to finish the album he has been working on, and to take the next step in his musical journey. On a more personal level, Jelly Roll, who is currently on a break from touring, says he plans to focus on his health and losing weight in the New Year.
And by that, he means to lose it for good.
“I’m going to spend the first couple months of the year just focusing on family and health,” Jelly Roll, 38, told Music Mayhem. “I lost some weight this year in 2022, but in 2023 I wanna finally conquer the demon. I don’t leave for a big tour until about the middle of the year. So I plan on taking the first half of the year to tighten the album up and get some work in.”
Jelly Roll has been vocal about his size with fans and in previous interviews. In fact, the singer/songwriter (his real name is Jason DeFord) was initially given the nickname Jelly Roll by his mother due to his “roundness.” He has even joked in several interviews that he has spent his “life trying to grow into the name [and] I think I’ve done it.”
And, while he has thoroughly embraced the name and being overweight, he insists he may look different as he has a new regimen set for shedding the pounds.
“I got a guy, man,” he shared. “I’m [about to] start working with my boy, who owns a gym in Brentwood, and we’re [gonna] start getting after it at the top of the year.”
And it appears Jelly Roll is already getting a head start on his New Year’s resolution. His wife, Bunnie XO, recently shared a video on TikTok of the pair spending time in their garage with their dog and gym equipment.
“Workout partnaaa,” Bunnie XO captioned the clip.
@ohheyitsbunnie Workout partnaaa #bunniexo #bunnieandchachi
And, on the musical side of things, Jelly Roll, who recently released a track called “Need A Favor,” which will appear on his forthcoming project, says, “Well, for me, it’s about planting the flag to show people that I am here to stay. I think, we’ve done a really good job of getting people to see where we’re going and now we gotta get ’em to watch where we are and go with us where we’re heading to. That’s the goal.”
Indeed, Jelly Roll has enjoyed a milestone year. In 2022, he earned his first-ever No. 1 at rock radio with “Dead Man Walking.” His follow-up song “Son Of A Sinner,” meanwhile, reached the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts, respectively.
Among other accomplishments, Jelly Roll also walked his first CMA Awards red carpet and capped off the year by performing his first-ever hometown headlining show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Proceeds from the sold-out show in Music City are going towards programs benefitting underserved youth in partnership with Impact Youth Outreach. Money from the show also will be used to build a state-of-the-art recording studio and music programs inside the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where the Antioch native served time as a teen.
“It’s just unreal…. I was looking over some stuff and recapping, and just little stuff like Billboard said I’m the third-biggest new face in country [music]. Another big website said I had the 30th biggest song of the year. Just all this stuff is just like, I cannot believe this. And knowing that we’re number two on Country radio right now, going into the holidays is even wilder,” Jelly Roll says, reflecting on his 2022 success. “You know, what a great time to be in the top five on country radio. You know what I mean? It’s the time of year when everybody’s listening to the radio. I can’t even wrap my head around it.”
