After Long Climb to Stardom, Country Artist Jelly Roll is ‘Petrifed' of Losing His Success

Jelly Roll performs onstage during the 58th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 20, 2024. Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Country star Jelly Roll rose to stardom with hits like “Save Me” and “Need a Favor.” But being at the height of his career has brought a new fear to the surface.

The 39-year-old has come a long way from his time in juvenile detention during his adolescence, but while he was confident about getting his big break, he dealt with the newfound pressure of maintaining his success.

“I was never afraid of not making it. I’m petrified of losing it,” he told People. “That is the pressure I feel. I was okay with this thing not working. But since it worked, now I’m petrified of it not working.”

While climbing to the top, Jelly Roll has also had to face broken relationships and past mistakes he made along the way.

“I’m rounding third on my amends list, and I think when I get there, I’ll feel a little better,” he said. “I was hitting some stone walls with people that wouldn’t forgive me, and I was like, ‘God, maybe this has something to do with the fact [that] I haven’t forgiven myself either.

“I brush over 10, 12, 15 years of living an extremely crazy, narcissistic, selfish lifestyle in a two-second sentence in an interview. The truth is, there was a lot of pain in there. I hurt a lot of people. No matter much I’ve changed, they still watch and are mad that I’m successful. I understand that. But I’m doing better at letting go of the past and realizing that I don’t owe that part of me anything.”

Now the artist, who was nominated for three Country Music Association (CMA) awards this week, is focusing on using his talent and platform to give back.

“I realized we’re here to serve,” he said. “That’s the thought when I write, when I perform, when we go feed the homeless, when we go talk to kids at juvenile [detention centers] or jail—we just want to be a good steward with what we’ve got.”

Weight Loss

The “Wild Ones” singer told People he has lost 110 pounds this year—and estimates he’s lost 60 to 70 lbs. just on his “Beautifully Broken” tour, which began in August.

“Next year when y’all see me, you won’t recognize me,” Jelly spoke of his lifestyle goals in an Oct. 21 Instagram post. “I’m going to get under a pile of weights in a way that I never have.”

His nutritionist, Ian Larios, gave some insight in how exactly the country star has been able to shed the weight.

“We just passed the halfway point of tour and Jelly has been crushing it,” Larios said in the video, adding Jelly Roll’s routine includes walking in the arenas before performances as well as partake in basketball and boxing to remain active.

“The big dog @jellyroll615 has been absolutely crushing it on his health journey this tour,” Larios captioned an Sep. 16 Instagram post as he stands beside a smiling Jelly Roll in a photo.

“The habits he’s been building are truly life changing and he’s doing this while also changing lives on this 56 city tour. Excited for him to show the world he’s just getting warmed up !”

Born Jason Bradley DeFord on Dec. 4, 1984, Jelly Roll spent a lot of time in and out of juvenile centers during his adolescence, earning his GED in jail at 23. He got his start in music by selling his own hip-hop mixtapes out of his car, but the country genre has brought him major success. His 2022 debut single “Son of a Sinner,” co-written with David Ray Stevens, and Ernest Keith Smith, reached No. 1 on Country radio.

In November 2023, Jelly Roll won New Artist of the Year at the 57th CMA Awards. He has also won three Country Music Television awards this year—for the second year in a row—and is a four-time Grammy nominee.

In 2016, he married Alyssa DeFord—who goes by Bunnie XO. He has two children from previous relationships.