Jelly Roll will really pull your heartstrings with this one. The Tennessee star hit super hard with his uplifting performance of “I Am Not Okay” at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. There are some singers that can really make you feel something, and Jelly Roll definitely has that talent, no doubt about that. From the first line, his charmingly raspy voice and vulnerable performance drew in the audience, and he kept them hooked for the rest of the show.
Jelly Roll has such a gorgeous voice, and his distinctive style is perfect for delivering the powerful lyrics “I Am Not Okay.” His lyrics about struggling to get through each day are surely relatable to everyone on some level, and you can see it in the eyes of the audience as they sing along. Since his breakout in 2020, we have ranked Jelly Roll as one of the greatest rising country stars, and this performance shows exactly why.
Jelly Roll appeared at the Billboard Music Awards on December 13, 2024, and his performance has gained 335,000 views in the month since then. The message of “I Am Not Okay” really resonated with fans, who added comments such as “This man is a life saver. You aren’t the only one. It’s not okay but we are all going to be alright” and “I love this so much. I always have tears in my eyes at the truth in this song.”
Jelly Roll really excels at live performances. His expressive voice and the way he engages the audience make seeing him live the definitive experience. Another great performance from the country rap star was his live cut of “Save Me” at the 58th ACM Awards. Lainey Wilson brought the song to another level with a soulful verse halfway through, and then joined her voice with Jelly Roll in a beautiful duet.
“I Am Not Okay” is the lead single from Jelly Roll’s 10th studio album Beautifully Broken. He wrote the song with Taylor Phillips, Ashley Gorley, and Casey Brown. Readers might be interested to hear that the inspiration for “I Am Not Okay” came from the songwriters discussing the emotional reaction of the crowd at a Jelly Roll gig in North Carolina. During the conversation, Jelly Roll said that he was making it “OK for people not to be OK”. This line subsequently formed the basis for the vocal hook. The single was a hit for the Tennessee star, as it went Platinum in the US and Canada.
