Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken album is out. The 22-track record includes “Winning Streak,” his current Top 5 single, “I Am Not Okay,” collaborations with mgk, Wiz Khalifa, Isley, plus much more.
“Redemption and hope is where it all leads to,” Jelly Roll says on TODAY. “I think we’re all a little broken inside. And I think if we were 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.”
It was his mother’s struggle with mental illness that led Jelly Roll to music at an early age, as a way to make her happy. Years later, it still, in some ways, drives the music he makes.
“To this day, I still think I’m writing songs to help her heal,” the Nashville native says. “But I think that it also made me the writer I am, because I started writing at such a young age.”
Beautifully Broken follows Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel record, released in 2023. It’s a continuation of the process that Jelly Roll began long before he had any dreams of becoming one of country music’s biggest success stories.
“My goal is that this always arcs up, and I’m always letting the flower bloom with what I’m growing as a human,” Jelly Roll reflects to Spotify. “I’m hoping that’s always reflective on the songwriting side too.”
Jelly Roll hasn’t held back from his desire to create music with a message, a goal he solidifies with all of the songs on Beautifully Broken.
“I’m looking for songs that have a purpose,” Jelly Roll tells People. “When I go to put out a song under the name Jelly Roll, I think to myself, Why? Because for the first time in my life, it has nothing to do with a financial decision. I’m well past putting out anything for money. So, now, it really is a why.”
Ahead of the release of Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll shared his thoughts on the project, and the inspiration behind all of the tracks.
“The music is so honest and emotional,” he posted on social media. “I pray that a sense of community is happening at these shows. I hope people are making friends. Thank y’all [for] making people feel safe and welcome at our shows. [This] tour has been so eye opening for me to see arenas full of strangers consoling each other and connecting. It’s been one of the most beautiful acts of humanity I’ve ever seen and it happens every single night. Thank y’all.”
Jelly Roll, who has a few more weeks left on his Beautifully Broken Tour, is nominated for three CMA Awards, including the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. He has also been announced as a co-headliner, along with Kane Brown and Keith Urban, for this year’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.
Find Beautifully Broken and all of Jelly Roll’s music and upcoming shows at JellyRoll615.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA