Jelly Roll has been feeling really sentimental these days.
The two-time Grammy-nominated artist recently sat down with The New York Times podcast Popcast, and while they covered from the bottom of the mountaintop during the interview, one part that stuck out to me was Jelly Roll talking about his ability to be so emotional and owning his emotions.
Jelly Roll was asked how he is not only comfortable enough to cry, but also how impressive it is to connect with his fans and feel their emotions just as much as they do:
“I am an empath for people, period. My nature as a human… especially for so many years that I wasn’t a good human like my heart is soft. I make this joke all the time that I wasn’t able to cry until I was 34 years old. I can’t quit crying now.
It’s like when you drink too much beer, and you piss the first time. It takes two hours, but then you piss every twelve minutes after that. I broke the seal.”
Jelly Roll goes on to say that because he has hit his rock bottom, he feels as though he feels the pain of those who are also at their rock bottom. He was able to come out on the other side better than ever but can connect to those unlike any other because of his struggles.
Jelly Roll then moves on to talk about the emotional video he posted when he found out he was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
“One, I’m never going to be too cool to be a fan of something. I think it’s so important to get excited about stuff. I’m living that now. This might be the only time I get to come hang out at the f*cking New York Times. You know what I mean?
And I’m going to treat it like that…I don’t mind being that honest to say, man, that means that much to me.”
He then says it’s so surreal that he even sees “Grammy Nominated” associated with his name in headlines today.
“Even just being nominated supersedes every award I’ve already won.”
He’s then asked if he ever feels he should hold back on his emotions and if he wants to keep some of his extreme gratitude for himself.
“For it’s like…I think I’m just getting out years of emotion of my life, is what’s happening. I’m still shaking 30 years of horrible decisions and being a less than attractive human.”
One video that he might release was the conversation he had with his mother when he found out the Grammy news:
“I called my mother the same time, but it was me getting to call a woman I’ve called from jail, a woman I’ve called homeless, a woman I’ve called addicted, a woman I’ve had to sit down and tell he I had a drug addiction, a woman I’ve had to tell her I was running from the police, a woman I’ve had to call with all this horrible news… and I got to call and say I just got nominated for 2 f**king Grammys… it’s the craziest call you can make.”
Drop that one too, homie…
He then says that he had to learn to be accountable for his actions and thinks he is so open with his emotions today because he can now carry his ego in a helpful way. He feels he knows that he can affect people with his story, and sharing that and connecting with those overcoming dark things through his music is more important to him than being happy.
He loves knowing that he is helping the thousands of listeners he has and knowing that he is forming a deep connection with those he doesn’t know because of his music.
Jelly Roll is a fan favorite going into the Grammy Awards to take home his nominations, and after his amped-up speech during the CMA Awards, he captured the hearts of those who did not previously know him.
While Jelly Roll thinks he connects with his fans because of his meaningful music, I believe interview clips like this seal the deal for viewers. He is the definition of real and raw, and the way he talks about his struggles, successes, and everything in between is unlike any other.
Check out what he has to say below, and don’t worry, it’s pre-selected to jump to this portion of the podcast, although the whole episode is well worth the listen.
