Country music stars took over Austin this weekend for the 2023 CMT Music Awards, but it was a pop star who had Jelly Roll nearly fainting. The “Son of a Sinner” rapper told Entertainment Tonight that he was freaking out watching Gwen Stefani rehearse for her performance. Stefani will take the stage with Carly Pearce for a mysterious duet during Sunday night’s show at the Moody Center in the Texas capital.
“My second concert ever was No Doubt,” Jelly Roll told ET. “We was at an amphitheater, it s— storm rained, I mean just rain storm, we were mud sliding dancing to ‘Spiderwebs,’ it was awesome.” The singer managed to avoid spillingdetails about what Stefani has in store for viewers, but he assured fans that “she looks like Gwen Stefani… What I seen was a real throwback.”
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This is a big night for Jelly Roll, real name Jason DeFord. The Antioch, Tennessee native is performing for the first time on live television. He will sing “Need a Favor,” the next single from his upcoming album Whitsitt Chapel. He also won his first CMT Music Award, picking up CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year for “Son of a Sinner” from CMT All Access. “Son of a Sinner” was also nominated for Male Video of the Year and Male Breakthrough Video of the Year.
“This is my first everything,” Jelly Roll told ET. “First live TV performance, first TV show performance, first award show nomination, first time I’ve done anything like this, this is a big night of firsts for me.” He admitted to being “somewhere between nervous and cloud nine” about performing for millions of viewers across the country. “It feels so good, it’s like the return of the prodigal son, it’s like finally coming home, man,” he said.
Whitsitt Chapel will be released on June 2. “This album is about growth and gratitude happening in my life,” he said in a release from Stony Creek Records/BMG. “I wanted to create a project that felt hopeful. I believe the worst feeling a person can have is feeling hopeless or worthless. This is therapeutic music. Real music for real people with real problems.”
He plans to release a rock album next, then a “surprise collab project” before the end of the year to make up for not releasing new music in 2022, the rapper tweeted last month. Jelly Roll is also starting a 44-date Backroad Baptism tour on May 5, with Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Chase Rice, Three Six Mafia, Struggle Jennings, Merkules, and Yelawolf joining him on different dates.
