Jelly Roll Dedicates Rare Performance of “Only’ to Make-A-Wish Recipient After Heartwarming Backstage Meeting

Jelly Roll recently brought his Little Ass Shed Tour to Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, where he made one young fan’s dream come true, thanks to the efforts of Make-A-Wish.

In a heartwarming video shared across his social media, the genre-bending star was seen spending time backstage with Amelia, who was diagnosed with a brain cancer called Medulloblastoma and has now been cancer free for over a year. Jelly Roll created a memorable experience for the young girl as he answered her important questions before giving her and her family a shoutout during the show.

She made sure to start off with a hard-hitting question, asking what his favorite activity is. Jelly Roll happily responded, “You know my new favorite activity is hiking. You ever been hiking? I used to be a lot bigger and I couldn’t hike. Now that I’m skinny, I’m in love with hiking. I get to go see cool stuff I couldn’t see before.”

He followed up by returning the same question to her, prompting her to share her love for swimming. Amelia also inquired about the story behind why the “Save Me” singer, whose real name is Jason DeFord, goes by Jelly Roll.

“My mama gave me that nickname because I like jelly donuts. You want to hear the funny part? She didn’t know the difference between a jelly donut and a jelly roll. So I might’ve ended up being jelly donut if she’d have known the difference,” he explained, earning a laugh out of Amelia.

@officialjellyroll Kids just have no filter🤣😭 @Make-A-Wish ♬ original sound – Jelly Roll

Once on stage, Jelly Roll made sure to give Amelia and her family a special shoutout, putting them on the big screen and revealing that Amelia had requested a song he hadn’t performed in nearly seven years. The song titled “Only” was released on his 2017 mixtape Addiction Kills.

“She was the sweetest little girl. Her mom and dad were awesome people,” Jelly Roll stated before admitting, “I don’t think I remember the lyrics and only a couple of people in the band might know that we’re to try. And Amelia, if we blow it really bad we’re sorry, but we’re doing this for you.”

Despite his initial concerns, Jelly Roll delivered a standout performance of the fan-favorite track, earning a huge smile from Amelia and a roaring response from the crowd.

@theladiesman2 Jelly roll did a song for this precious little Amelia; she was from the Make-A-Wish Foundation 🥹. He has not performed this song in seven years. P.s This little girl new the song by #JellyRoll #WowMoment #favorite #fypageシ ♬ original sound – 🍭theladiesman3.0🍭

Amelia’s mom first took to Facebook to share her daughter’s diagnosis back in June of 2024. At the time, she was said to be fighting through intensive radiation treatments like a “superhero.”

“Although this type of therapy is difficult to face every day, she always remains positive and keeps a smile on her face,” the post from June 2024 read. “Even though she has lost all of her hair at this point, she doesn’t let anything stop her from being her normal, happy, sociable self. When she notices other children looking at her a little extra longer, or maybe looking at her curiously, she’s always brave enough to say, ‘Hi, I’m Ameliah! And you can ask me questions if you want to!’”

Since the concert, Amelia’s mom has released another statement to Facebook giving followers an update on her health.

“She’s cancer free today, all glory to God! After bravely battling medulloblastoma, she is now a little over a year cancer-free. Her family is so grateful for every prayer, every bit of support, and every ounce of strength that has carried her this far.”

The post goes on to celebrate the fact that her last MRI in April showed no signs of the cancer returning, which is “a blessing her family don’t take for granted.” Her family is praying for “good news and continued healing” leading up to her next scan at the end of July.

Jelly Roll’s Little Ass Shed Tour continues tomorrow, June 13 in Grand Rapids, MI.