Wynonna Judd has been on the road non-stop these days.
Since the tragic loss of her mother and musical duo partner, Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd has been on tour consistently. She turned The Judds: The Final Tour into a killer girl’s night out experience, bringing out some heavy-hitting names to join her on the road. With that success, Wynonna kicked off another tour, the Back To Wy Tour, which highlights some of the greatest aspects of her solo career.
While she has been filled her time with touring, filling her heart being able to spend time with fans, she acknowledged backstage after her CMA Awards performance with Jelly Roll some days are more complex than others.
While there was speculation that Wynonna could have been having a low moment as she clung to Jelly Roll throughout the performance, she took to social media afterward, telling fans it was a case of nerves.
However, she told Entertainment Tonight that during a recent show, she had to take a break while on stage because of the sudden wave of emotions, feeling as though her mom was on stage.
When asked how she does it all, she says:
“I don’t know how I’m doing it. I’ll let you know in December. No seriously, I think it’s like your wedding. You just keep hugging the next person, and taking the picture, and doing what you’re supposed to do, then you sleep later.”
She then says that she loves being on the road, though, and it makes her happy and healthy. But just like anyone dealing with a significant loss, she acknowledges that sometimes she has her highs and lows.
“You know I have my ups and my downs, and that’s life. I’m just telling my fans… like the other night, I got really emotional. I felt mom, and I felt a bit overcome. I just said, ‘I need some water, and I need someone to hold onto me for a second while I take a deep breath and cry.’
And I just do it because that’s the way life is.”
She says how thankful she is to have such a great community in country music that supports her through the hard times. It makes her want to be there for them in the same way- just like she made it to perform with Jelly Roll during the CMA Awards, with his help getting her a plane so she’d make it.
Wynonna made a quick turnaround from the awards ceremony to make it to her next Back To Wy Tour stop. Not many folks could go through what she has, all while showing up for her fans across the nation.
Jelly Roll Got Wynonna A Private Plane For 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.
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.”
Here’s Wynonna talking about how the CMA Awards performance came together:
