Jelly Roll was ready to do whatever it took to get Wynonna to perform with him at the CMA Awards.
The rapper-turned-country superstar opened up the 57th Annual CMA Awards this week with a performance of his powerful hit, “Need A Favor.” But he surprised everybody when he brought out the legendary Wynonna Judd to join him during the song.
Well it turns out, the performance almost didn’t happen.
Talking about how it came together backstage, Wynonna revealed that she was initially forced to say no to Jelly Roll’s request.
“He literally phoned me and said, ‘So, can you sing on the CMA Awards?’
I went, ‘No, I can’t, because I have to be in Texas Wednesday night.'”
But it was important for Jelly Roll to have Wynonna there. So he did what he could to make it happen:
“He said, ‘What if I can get you there on a private plane?’
I said, ‘I’m in.’ So he got me a private plane and here I am.”
Wynonna revealed that she’s formed quite the bond with not only the “Son of A Sinner” singer, who took home the award for Best New Artist, but also with his bombshell wife Bunnie Xo:
“The CMT Awards was when I first met him, and I went up to him and I said, ‘I need to know you. I don’t know you. What’s the deal?’
And he’s real. And his wife Bunnie and I connected, and here we are.
So I just kind of threw myself in front of them. I literally did. And I don’t do that very often, I’m very shy believe it or not when it comes to meeting people like that.
Something happened, I don’t know, we connected on a very deep level.”
And it sounds like the powerful CMA Awards performance isn’t the last we’ll be hearing from the duo:
“It’s a little bit of a story, and we’ll get there. We’re going to write some songs and talk about what it’s like to be in the prison system and life afterwards.”
I like the sound of that…and we know that Jelly Roll will do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Here’s Wynonna talking about how the CMA Awards performance came together:
And here’s their incredible performance:
