It's an unlikely success story, but it's the kind country music loves to tell. The name Jelly Roll only became a household name over the last few years, but almost anyone can empathize with his struggles. After a troubled childhood and multiple incarcerations as a teen, the Tennessee native got motivated to better himself and follow his dreams -- and that led him to stardom.
At the 2024 CMT Music Awards , Jelly pulled off a clean sweep at the star-studded show -- held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas -- taking home the awards for Male Video of the Year, CMT Performance of the Year and the night's biggest prize, Video of the Year. It was his second time sweeping the ceremony in as many years. "I don't know what to say.
I'm out of words. By the last time I got up there, I was like, 'Man, this is crazy,'" the "Need a Favor" artist told ET backstage . "It's just unreal, man.
" This after scoring the New Artist of the Year trophy at the 2023 CMA Awards and earning two GRAMMY nominations -- including the coveted, all-genre Best New Artist category -- at the 2024 event. That he didn't ultimately take home a golden gramophone in February is hardly a matter of concern. "Being recognized by the [Recording] Academy and being here to represent Nashville and being able to represent country music and my slice of America that's often not spoken for -- it's a lot of people that have never been represented that are represented here tonight," Jelly gushed to ET on the GRAMMYs red carpet .
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