Jelly Roll Tears up Over Grammy Nominations in Emotional Video

The 2024 Grammy nominations were announced on Friday, and rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll picked up two. When the nominees were announced, it was revealed that Jelly Roll is nominated for Best New Artist, as well as alongside Lainey Wilson in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for their song “Save Me.” Taking to Instagram, Jelly Roll revealed how he was handling the news, delivering an emotional, tear-filled video clip for his followers.

“The greatest honor an artist can ever hear is that they’ve been nominated for a Grammy — and I got to hear that this morning,” he said. “I haven’t cried like this since my daddy died. I love [my fans] so…much.” In the post’s caption, Jelly Roll wrote, “I’m embarrassed to post this but my wife says honesty and rawness got me this far … I’ll post a more complete thought about this when I get my head together. I just never would’ve imagined.” Speaking to The Tennessean, Jelly Roll added, “It’s unreal. There’s no greater award or honor than the Grammies — either being nominated for or winning one is the dream of all dreams.”

Speaking about his and Wilson’s nomination for “Save Me,” he said, “A song that’s now healed and helped millions of people is being acclaimed on the largest platform possible. Sometimes, you do so much work and think people believe you’re crazy. Similar to so many in Nashville right now — like the War and Treaty, who I’m nominated alongside for Best New Artist — we’re being represented in greater numbers on larger platforms. This is an exciting moment for community and celebration [for Nashville overall].”

The big accomplishment comes after Jelly Roll took home the CMA award for Best New Artist at the organization’s big ceremony on Wednesday night. During his acceptance speech, Jelly Roll said, “There is something poetic about a 39-year-old man winning New Artist of the Year. I don’t know where you’re at in your life or what you’re going through, but I wanna tell you to keep going, baby.”

Jelly Roll continued, “I wanna tell you that success is on the other side [of what you’re going through]. I wanna tell you that it’s gonna be okay. I want to tell you that the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason — because what’s in front of you is so much more important than what’s behind you. Let’s party Nashville!”

Reflecting on that moment and how it’s since gina viral, Jelly Roll told The Tennessean, “Social media uniting over me while I’m having a moment of critical acclaim is beautiful because it doesn’t always happen that way.” He added, “I’ve spent my whole life being a large man but feeling unseen. In the past two days, I’ve never felt more seen, accepted and respected.”