2X GRAMMY® nominee and current reigning CMA New Artist of the Year Jelly Roll continues his momentum in 2024 with the launch of his next single at Country Radio, “Halfway To Hell.” Impacting January 22, the song follows Jelly’s three consecutive #1 singles at Country radio in 2023 - his multi-week hit “Son of a Sinner,” the international multi-week #1 “Need A Favor,” and the multi-week, GRAMMY® nominated single, “Save Me” ft. Lainey Wilson. With “Save Me,” Jelly Roll became the second artist in chart history to have their first three releases all reach #1 within a single calendar year on the radio airplay charts, alongside Wynonna, who earned three #1 releases in 1992 ("She Is His Only Need," "I Saw The Light" and "No One Else On Earth"). The milestoneis one of several he discussed with the New York Times and that will be featured on Sunday’s upcoming CBS Sunday Morning episode (1/7), where the emerging star and GRAMMY® nominee is profiled.
Having kicked off 2024 live from Times Square with the biggest NYE television celebration in the US, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Jelly took a moment to reflect on his GRAMMY® nominations with host Ryan Seacrest, watch here. His kick-off to the new year echoes the star’s unyielding momentum in 2023, which featured numerous breakthrough moments. In December 2022, Jelly Roll celebrated his first #1 on Country radio and sold-out his hometown venue, Bridgestone Arena. In April 2023, Jelly became CMT’s most awarded artist of the night at the CMT Awards, winning 3 awards (Male Video of the Year, Breakthrough Male Video of the Year, CMT Digital-First performance of the Year) as a first-time nominee. In May, at the Academy of Country Music Awards, Jelly made the TV performance debut of his genre-defying hit “Save Me” alongside surprise guest Lainey Wilson and released his highly anticipated Hulu documentary, “Jelly Roll: Save Me,” which showcased much of Jelly’s story and early struggles with addiction and incarceration. In June, the 2023 Billboard Country Power Player Cover star also earned Billboard’s 2023 Breakthrough Artist Award after a record-breaking run on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart. He also released his debut Country project, Whitsitt Chapel, which debuted #2 on the Billboard Country albums chart and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart with the largest Country debut project in Billboard Consumption Chart history and made his Nissan Stadium CMA Fest debut for more than 70,000 fans - across the street from the Nashville Juvenile Detention Center he used to reside in starting at age 15. In September, Jelly became the most awarded artist of the night at the People’s Choice Country Awards, accepting his award live from his record-breaking sold-out 55+ date headlining Backroad Baptism Arena tour. In November, Jelly won CMA New Artist of the Year after earning 5 CMA nominations as the most nominated male artist of the night with nominations including Single of the Year (“Need A Favor”), Male Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year (“Save Me”), Music Video of the Year (“Need A Favor”) and New Artist of the Year. As a first time CMA nominee in 2023, Jelly Roll joined the ranks of past artists including Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, who each debuted with five nods in a first appearance on the CMA final ballot. The CMA win was followed up two days later with his GRAMMY nominations for Best New Artist and Country Duo/Group Performance” for “Save Me.” The moment was captured here on social media, where visibly moved to tears, Jelly addressed his fans and the music community on his nominations. In December, on Jelly’s 39th birthday, “Save Me” broke the aircheck record for the most amount of spins per week in chart history and earned this Stoney Creek Records artist his third consecutive #1 on Country radio. His record-breaking tour dates in 2023 and future announced dates at Festivals including Stagecoach in April 2024 also earned Jelly a Pollstar award nomination for “New Headliner of The Year.” Additionally, in a full circle moment from December 2022 - when Jelly donated the Bridgestone Arena proceeds towards building a recording studio in the Juvenile Detention Center he once resided in as well as towards additional supportive outreach for at-risk youth in the Nashville community - Jelly continued to activate his local community in December 2023, pledging to help facilitate the largest holiday toy drive in Nashville history, which resulted in the donation of thousands of toys.
About Jelly Roll:
Nashville native singer/songwriter Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) recently debuted Top 3 on the Billboard 200 All Genre Chart and #2 on the Top Country Album charts with his debut Country Album, Whitsitt Chapel (released June 2nd, 2023) - earning the biggest Country debut album in Billboard Consumption Chart history. Following his sweep at the 2023 CMT Music Awards where he earned 3 awards to become the most awarded artist of the night, the Billboard Country Power List Cover star and “country’s ‘most authentic’ new artist” (The New Yorker) recently received Billboard’s 2023 Breakthrough Award. “One of Nashville’s fastest rising stars” (The New York Times), Jelly was an 8X nominee and 4X winner at the People’s Choice Country Awards and was the most nominated male at the 2023 CMA Awards, with five total nominations capturing his first CMA Award for "New Artist of the Year." His current hit single “Save Me” — a confessional, vulnerable expression of self-doubt— set the stage for his new season of life and took him to new heights, has more than 155 million views on YouTube and Platinum certification from the RIAA. Jelly debuted the song along with Lainey Wilson at the 2023 ACM Awards on the heels of his 28-week reign at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. “Save Me” became his third consecutive #1 single in 2023 following his multi-week #1 hits on Country and Rock radio, “Need A Favor” and “Son of A Sinner.”
Having just wrapped his sold-out 55-city 2023 Backroad Baptism Arena Tour and celebrated multi-format success with "Need a Favor" inside the Top 10 on Hot AC and Top 25 on Top 40, Jelly Roll continues to resonate with fans on a global scale and earn numerous industry milestones - from playing his sold-out hometown show for 18,000 fans at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena to sold-out dates at the Ryman Auditorium and the release of his critically acclaimed Hulu documentary produced by ABC News, “Save Me.” Featured by Nightline, GMA, GMA3, The New York Times, The Tennessean, Billboard, Variety, American Songwriter, CMT and more, his self-built, unconventional industry rise and unique fan connection has garnered praise from numerous outlets, with Variety noting, “for everyone who’s facing the same struggles, Jelly Roll is their Springsteen,” and American Songwriter echoing, “with a string of accolades and an extremely dedicated following, Jelly Roll has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.”
Photo Credit: Ashley Osborn