Jelly Roll Reveals How He Made Music In Prison, Hints At New Album Release Date On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

On Tuesday evening (June 25), Jelly Roll sat down for an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with guest host Martin Short and opened up about important aspects about his musical journey, including his days of writing songs in prison. 

The hitmaker revealed that as a child, he used songwriting as a way to connect with his mother, who had a deep love for music, but it was during his time in jail that he truly began honing in on his skills. 

“I had a lot of time to kill so I was like, maybe I should invest this time in something positive. And I wrote a bunch of songs,” he shared.

Making Music Without Instruments Or Recording Devices

While writing down the lyrics was no problem, Jelly Roll explained that he had to get creative when it came to making up the melodies because he didn’t have access to any instruments. 

“We would have to make ’em on a table,” he shared before offering to give an example of the type of music he would make in prison. 

The Antioch, TN native started by creating a beat on Short’s desk as he took a brief second to think of the lyrics. A moment later, the audience was cheering him on as he freestyled a rap that catered to Short and his Only Murders In The Building co-host, Jane Lynch, who was also a guest on the show that evening. 

Teases Release Date For Next Album

After showcasing his impressive freestyling abilities, Jelly Roll teased that his next chapter of music will be coming this fall with his forthcoming album. 

“I’m not supposed to say, but I will I say,” he joked before giving the hint that “Jelly Roll’s music favors the fall.”

Fans got the first glimpse into his next project when he dropped his current radio single, “I Am Not Okay.” The deeply emotional track debuted on airwaves last week and is currently Top 30 and climbing. He revealed that the song was inspired by a moment after a show in North Carolina when a couple of songwriters named Taylor Phillips and Ashley Gorley who had joined him on the road that evening, expressed how moved they were by the concert that he had just delivered.  After a bit more discussion, they got to writing and had the song finished by four in the morning.

“I wanted to encapsulate if you’ve ever really been in that dark hole of depression, it’s really hard to say what’s happening. And I think music sometimes is the words that we can’t find ourselves,” Jelly Roll shared.  

Beautifully Broken Tour 2024 Expands With 15 New Dates

While on the late-night show, Jelly Roll also announced the expansion of his Beautifully Broken Tour 2024 with 15 new additional dates. 

The tour, which is set to kick off on Monday, August 27th at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT, has added new markets including Cincinnati, OH, Lexington, KY, Kansas City, MO, Houston, TX and Austin TX in addition to previously announced markets New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New Orleans, and more. 

Tour openers for all dates through October 27th include breakout newcomers Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay, with ERNEST, Shaboozey, and Allie Colleen joining as support starting October 30th.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jelly Roll (@jellyroll615)

Just-Added Beautifully Broken 2024 Tour Dates:

10/16/2024 – Springfield, MO – Great Southern Bank Arena #

10/30/2024 – Charlottesville, VA – John Paul Jones Arena *

11/1/2024 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum *

11/4/2024 – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center *

11/7/2024 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse *

11/8/2024 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena *

11/10/2024 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center *

11/12/2024 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center Arena *

11/13/2024 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center *

11/14/2024 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center *

11/17/2024 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center *

11/18/2024 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center *

11/19/2024 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *

11/22/2024 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena *

11/23/2024 – Jacksonville, FL – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena *

#Warren Zeiders & Alexandra Kay

*ERNEST, Shaboozey & Allie Colleen

Tickets for the newly added shows will be available starting with Citi and Verizon presales beginning on Thursday, June 27th. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Monday, July 1 at 10 am local time at jellyroll615.com. 

First International Shows Taking Place This July

 In addition to his upcoming Beautifully Broken Tour, the GRAMMY-nominated artist recently announced that he will perform in Canada for the first time this July. These upcoming shows will mark his first ever international tour dates and also the first time he is visiting the country. His dates in St. Catherines, Ontario on July 8, and Ottawa, Ontario on July 9 are currently on sale.