jelly roll has revealed that he was court ordered to start attending Alcoholics Anonymous when he was just 14 years old.
The 39-year-old country megastar, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, got candid about his struggle with addiction and his criminal past once again, as it includes some 40 arrests, most of which were on charges related to drugs when I was young.
In his last interview during the promotional tour for his new studio album – titled Beautifully Broken -, the country singer and rapper admitted that he was just a teenager when a judge ‘ordered’ him to attend his first 12-step meeting. .
“Oh, God, I don’t fully remember my first real meeting because I was court ordered when I was 14,” the Grammy winner told host Ania Hammar during an episode of The SiriusXM Highway.
‘I don’t remember it as much as I should. But I definitely remember the first time I found solace in those rooms, or the first time I was introduced to the concept of this,” the country star explained. “And how many things I’ve taken away from those rooms.”
Jelly Roll, 39, has revealed that he was court ordered to start attending Alcoholics Anonymous when he was just 14 years old.
The Antioch, Tennessee, native added that he had “never felt more inspired” than when he was “leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meeting.”
“I think everyone should experience one if they’ve never drunk in their life,” the Somebody Save Me singer said during the interview.
Jelly believes that almost anyone can learn something from an AA and NA 12-step meeting, as a way to learn from it as it relates to their own lives.
“I still think there’s something about this, which is that good ones are like good theater,” he continued. ‘They will make you listen, you will learn, you will laugh and you will cry.’
His experiences with drug and alcohol use, as well as the times he learned a thing or two at an NA and AA meeting, helped inspire his song, I Am Not Okay, which is the lead single from his tenth album studio, Beautifully Broken.
You also have another song from the new album, Winning Streak, which was actually inspired by AA and NA.
“It was very difficult for me to get away from those drugs,” he said during an interview with The New York Times over the summer. “One thing I do to maintain my relationship with those drugs is to continue going to meetings, even though I’m not a textbook sober guy, but I never share it, I just sit in silence and appreciate the message and the meaning.”
To commemorate the launch, Jelly took to his Instagram page and shared a video of himself behind the wheel of his car with friends in the back seat.
Jelly, who has two collaborations with MGK on the new album, told Ania Hammar during an episode of SiriusXM’s The Highway: “Oh God, I don’t fully remember my first real meeting because I was court-ordered when I was 14. But I definitely remember the first time I found solace in those rooms, or the first time I was introduced to the concept of this.
The rapper and singer took to Instagram to celebrate the release of his 10th studio album, Beautifully Broken: ‘I’m nervous but excited’
‘We’re going to release an album. It’s happening to all of you,” Jelly said, excitedly, at the top of the clip. “Beautifully Broken is out tonight,” he said Friday. ‘Man, album nights are always big nights for us. I’m nervous and that’s why I’m rambling.’
“I’m nervous, but excited,” the father of two reiterated, before feeling proud of having helped raise a lot of money for charities recently.
‘By the way, with the pre-sale we raised $850,000 for charities. Thanks everyone, that’s almost a million dollars, man. I can’t even begin to understand what’s going on this year. Thank you all, sincerely,” he said just as he turned to the camera.
Starting his career in 2003, Jelly toured the Southern rap circuit for years, but it wasn’t until he made some changes to his music to add more country elements to his songwriting that he saw his career skyrocket.
He would rise to fame after the release of his singles Son Of A Sinner and Need A Favor.
The singer and rapper was inspired to go in a more country direction after seeing the success of Son Of A Sinner from his album Ballads Of The Broken (2021), which reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but it reached number one on the Country Airplay chart.
Beautifully Broken features the single I Am Not Okay, as well as collaborations with Machine Gun Kelly, Halsey, Keith Urban, Ernest, Skylar Grey, Russ and Ilsey.
The singer and rapper shares the idea behind the album art on Instagram.
The deluxe version of Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken album has five bonus songs
It was that success that gave her the idea to adopt a full country sound for her ninth album, Whitsitt Chapel (2023), which includes the singles Need A Favor, Save Me with Lainey Wilson and Halfway to Hell.
He described his previous album as “real music for real people with real problems” and “about the growth and gratitude happening in my life”, while stating that he wanted to “create a project that felt hopeful”.
Just a look at his various album titles throughout his career: Sobriety Sucks (2016), Addiction Kills (2017), Whiskey Sessions II (2019), A Beautiful Disaster (2020), Self Medicated (2020), and Ballads of the Broken (2021), and it’s easy to see that he really wears his emotions on his sleeve and in his music.
The new album Beautifully Broken (2024) surely increases the coherence of the theme in its lyrics, which also offer a positive vibe.
‘I would like everyone to know “Beautifully Broken (Pickin’ Up The Pieces),” the deluxe that adds 5 more songs,’ the rapper shared on social media on Friday.
Beginning his career in 2003, Jelly Roll toured the Southern rap circuit for years, but it wasn’t until he made some changes to his music to add more country elements to his songwriting that he saw his career skyrocket in 2021 and beyond; He is seen performing in September.
‘The idea behind this artwork comes from a Japanese practice called kintsugi. The idea is that if something breaks and is worth fixing, you fix it by filling the cracks with gold. I honestly don’t think there’s anything that embodies this album better.’
That incredible year Jelly referenced culminated in a host of awards and recognitions, including three CMT Music Awards for Male Video of the Year, Male Breakout Video of the Year, and CMT’s First Digital Performance of the Year for Son Of A Sinner. .
He also won New Artist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards last November.
Jelly Roll has been married to his wife Alyssa DeFord, known as “Bunnie XO”, since 2016.