Jelly Roll is one of the fastest rising stars in country music, and he’s received no shortage of praise from his fellow artists. One of those artists is Luke Bryan, who shared his thoughts on the “NEED A FAVOR” singer during his star-studded 30 No. 1s celebration at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville.
“I think what Jelly Roll embodies and represents is something really, really special,” Bryan told Music Mayhem and other outlets, adding that he and Jelly Roll have seen each other at events and recently hung out backstage during a festival. “He is such a star in that role. And I was even telling somebody today, they were like, ‘Tell us about Jelly Roll.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. Every time I’m around the guy, he’s just so intriguing, so interesting.’”
The Georgia native added that he believes the music Jelly Roll makes “checks a potentially forgotten box of people in country music. And he’s able to really speak to that crowd and that’s what makes him special.”
2024 Crash My Playa: Featuring Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, Jon Pardi & More
Jelly Roll will perform at Bryan’s annual Crash My Playa event in January at the AAA Four Diamond Awarded Moon Palace Cancún in Mexico. The four-day event features concerts each night, and other headliners include Jon Pardi, Bailey Zimmerman and Bryan himself.
Bryan told media that when his team was asking Jelly Roll to participate in Crash My Playa, “I was like, ‘God, I hope he says yes.’”
“I think any festival that I’m a part of that I put my name in, it’s all about bringing somebody like Jelly Roll in,” he said, adding that when Jelly Roll accepted the offer, it came with a special bonus. “[Jelly Roll] called me up, he’s like, ‘Dude, I hadn’t been out of the country. This will be the first time I’ve ever gotten to perform my music out of the country,’ which was really fun.”
Luke Bryan also noted that Jelly Roll’s connection with his fans and his willingness to share his own life story is a significant part of his success.
“As a fan, you get to see into his world, which is the world of a lot of people,” the American Idol judge explained. “And I think that’s what you have to do to rise to where he’s risen, to speak to people and tell your story. Honestly, he tells his story, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I think that’s what people love about him. I mean, life’s a journey… it’s not all squeaky clean and beautiful and no bumps in the road. And I think he lets a lot of people not feel alone, they’re with him.”
Inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards
It’s already evident that Jelly Roll has made an impact on the genre, and that impact is reflected in his nominations for the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards, which will take place on September 28 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Jelly Roll is up for The Male Artist of 2023, The New Artist of 2023, The Song of 2023 for “Need A Favor,” The Collaboration Song of 2023 for “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson, The Music Video of 2023 for “Need A Favor” and The Album of 2023 for Whitsitt Chapel.
Additionally, the Nashville native will also perform during the ceremony along with Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, HARDY, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Toby Keith and Wynonna Judd. The People’s Choice Country Awards are fan-voted and voting is now closed.
