Jelly Roll currently has a top 15 Country Airplay hit with his latest single, “Halfway to Hell,” from his 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel, but the singer says fans can expect more new music on the way — including some “crazy” collaborations, both within the country music genre and beyond it.
The Grammy-nominated artist recently told Audacy’s KMLE 107.9, “I got some features. I collabed with some crazy people in and out of genre. I reached, man. I tell you what, I ain’t got no shame. I’ll shoot my shot.”
Of course, collaborations have been a solid part of Jelly Roll’s music for years, whether with longtime friends such as Struggle Jennings, or work with Lil Wyte, Cody Johnson, Craig Morgan, Jessie Murph and his rendition of The Judds’ “Love Can Build a Bridge” with the Fisk Jubilee Singers and K. Michelle.
Recently, Jelly Roll picked up three wins at the CMT Music Awards, an awards stage that holds special meaning for him, as in 2023, it served as a starting line of sorts to showcasing an artist who earned three No. 1 Country Airplay singles in 2023: “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and the Lainey Wilson collaboration “Save Me.” “Son of a Sinner” was from his album Ballads of the Broken, while the latter two are from his 2023 album, Whitsitt Chapel.
“I feel like the CMTs was the end of the Whitsitt Chapel era,” he continued on KMLE, noting that in 2023, he performed “Need a Favor,” his first single from the album, while earlier this year, he performed the album’s final single, “Halfway to Hell.”
Over the past year, Jelly Roll has picked up two Grammy nominations (for the all-genre best new artist, as well as best country duo/group performance for “Save Me”). He also won the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year honor last year.
When the Academy of Country Music Awards nominations were revealed last week, first-time nominee Jelly Roll earned four nominations, including the coveted entertainer of the year honor. Notably, the last artist to earn an ACM entertainer of the year nomination in his first year as a nominee was Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992, spearheaded by his hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” But Jelly’s already looking toward what’s ahead.
“New music is on the horizon,” Jelly Roll told KMLE. “It’s a new chapter.”
Listen to his interview below:
