How ‘Redemption and Hope’ Helps Jelly Roll Fulfill His Dreams
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jelly Roll has enjoyed massive career success, but at the end of the day, the country artist says it’s all about “redemption and hope.”
“I would say I dreamed about [this success], but that would be a lie,” he told Willie Geist during an interview for TODAY. “I wasn’t brave enough to dream this big.”
Jelly Roll has been open about his past incarcerations and how it led him to music, pointing to his arrest for aggravated robbery at 16.
“It took me a long time to forgive myself for what I did back then, but now I have a 16 year-old [Bailee],” he explained. “There’s nothing she could do right now that I would hold against her for the rest of her life, because I know she’s not thinking properly.”
Jelly Roll was in jail at the time of Bailee’s birth, which he credits with motivating him to turn his life around.
“[I was] sitting in a jail cell, having $17 of Honey Buns and potato chips to my name — I own one outfit, the one that was in the jail — and here I was, responsible for a child,” he said. “I mean, I was the lowest common denominator in life. You know, I was scum of the earth. I was a crack dealer. I was a horrible, horrible human. And I was like, ‘I gotta figure this out.’”
Now, the country artist hopes to share his journey with others and show them that change is possible.
“Redemption and hope is where it all leads to,” Jelly Roll said. “You know, I think we’re all a little broken inside, and I think if we were more honest and vulnerable about where we’re broken and how we feel about things, that it could create more conversations to grow [and] move forward.”
Jelly Roll shares his story of redemption through his music — and his tattoos.
“My broken chains — want to hear the story about these? This is fun,” he told People. “The broken chains are on my arm. One, it is just about breaking chains in life — anything that is bounding us, any bondage that we have, any addiction, anything we think God can’t get us through. We can break those chains.”
Jelly Roll also told the outlet what he’s most proud of so far in his career, saying, “It’s going back to see the kids at the juvenile and being able to visit with different facilities across the country and now internationally when I am touring and hearing the stories of those that feel like they may not feel represented all the time.”
“Being able to speak on a real level with someone about how they are one good decision from changing their life and being on track is something that I don’t take for granted that I get the opportunity to do,” he continued. “Showcasing that second chances are possible? There is nothing I am prouder of, and I want to continue to be an example of that.”
Related: Jelly Roll Credits: I Prioritize My Family, And That’s What Anchors Me Down
He even shared a special message about redemption while accepting the CMT award for Male Video of the Year in 2024.
“It’s important that I stand up here tonight and represent those looking for second chances,” he said during his speech. “The kids back in the Metro-Davidson Detention Facility and the kids down here in the Austin Juvenile Detention Facility watching this tonight, I’m cheering y’all boys on. You can be this guy. You can change. You can turn it around. I promise you can, baby.”
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