Bunnie Xo ‘So Proud’ After Jelly Roll Breaks Billboard Chart Record
“This is crazy y’all,” Jelly Roll shared in response to the news.
Jelly Roll, Bunnie; Photo by Jamie Schramm/CMA
Jelly Roll (whose real name is Jason DeFord) made Billboard chart history as he sits at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Emerging Artists chart (dated February 11) for a record-breaking 25th week.
The 38-year-old singer/songwriter broke a record previously held by NLE Choppa, who had a 24-week reign on the chart in 2019-2020. With this chart achievement, Jelly Roll has set a new record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the seven-year history of the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.
Coi Leray, NewJeans, Nate Smith and d4vd complete the top five of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart.
According to Billboard, “The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50.
While the Hot 100 lists the overall most popular artists each week, the Emerging Artists chart focuses on those who have yet to notch a Top 25 entry on the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, plus artists who have achieved two or more Top 10s on any Billboard “Hot” song chart or “Top” album rankings.
After hearing the exciting news, Jelly Roll took to his Instagram stories to comment on the chart feat.
“This is crazy y’all!” Jelly Roll wrote.
His wife, Bunnie Xo, shared her excitement on Facebook, writing, “Manifesting more record breaking to come baby 
SO PROUD OF YOU!”
As he makes history on the Emerging Artist chart, the genre-bending artist’s latest release, “NEED A FAVOR,” continues to make its way up the Billboard charts. The tune currently ranks at No. 33 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, while it also peaked at No. 42 on the Hot Country Songs chart and has risen to No. 43 on the Country Airplay chart.
In 2022, Jelly Roll earned his first-ever No. 1 hit at both Rock and Country radio with his songs “Dead Man Walking” and “Son Of A Sinner,” respectively.
Since reaching the top of the charts with those songs, the Nashville native has released several songs including “She,” “NEED A FAVOR” and has also appeared on a duet with Brantley Gilbert, titled “Son Of The Dirty South.”
Jelly Roll is currently working on a brand-new album, which will feature his latest singles “NEED A FAVOR” and “She.” The forthcoming new project will serve as Jelly Roll’s first full-length Country project.
During a recent interview with Music Mayhem, Jelly Roll opened up about his debut Country album, which he said is expected to arrive in “April or May [of 2023].”
“I’m really proud of it. I’m going to have some features on it. It’s a country record for sure,” he told us. “It’ll be my debut country album. I’m kind of really excited about taking my first real big leap into the genre. I think ‘Son of a Sinner’ was just kind of showing people what I could do, but we also got some real kind of rock records on there, some real kind of rocky records on there. And we’ll have a couple of songs where I’m spitting a little bit too. So it’s still true to Jelly Roll for sure.”
Jelly Roll’s new project will serve as the follow-up to his 2021 album, Ballads Of The Broken, which includes the chart-topping hits “Son Of a Sinner” and “Dead Man Walking” as well as fan-favorite tunes such as “Sober,” “Empty House,” and more.
Additionally, Jelly Roll is currently working on a new full length project with Brantley Gilbert, which Gilbert says “will blow your mind.”
“We went and lived in the studio for about a week,” Brantley revealed to Country Now. We’ve really got enough for an album, so I think right now we’re just trying to figure out whether or not it’s gonna be an EP or an album, but there’s definitely something coming.”
“This album that we put together, this EP that we put together, literally covers every base. I mean, we both went into our little bag of tricks across the board. So there’s a little bit of everything on it,” he continued, offering a sneak peek into what fans can expect from the project. “When you hear this project, it will blow your mind. I could play you one song and then play you another one, and you can say, in million years, do not ever put that on the same album.”
Jelly Roll has yet to share any plans for a headlining tour. However, he is scheduled to perform at several upcoming festivals this year, including Tailgate N’ Tallboys Bloomington, Tailgate N’ Tallboys Clinton, TidalWave Music Festival, and more.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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