Jelly Roll Rules The 2023 CMT Music Awards
He also performed “Need A Favor.”
Jelly Roll accepts the Male Video of the Year Award onstage during the 2023 CMT Music Awards at Moody Center on April 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for CMT)
Jelly Roll took home three belt buckles and delivered an impressive performance at the 2023 CMT Music Awards on Sunday (April 2).
The Nashville native was on hand to accept all three of his awards throughout the evening.
CMT Hot 20 Countdown host, Cody Alan, surprised Jelly Roll with his first award as he arrived on the red carpet alongside his wife Bunnie XO.
“What is this? I just won an award? Let’s go! What a way to start the night, baby! Let’s go. This motherf******’s heavy. Y’all just did that for real? I thought I was doing an interview,” he said. “What a way to start, baby. Cody Allen just told me that I won the award for digital first performance tonight, baby. What a way to start the night. They told me I was coming to walk the carpet.”
During the show, Jelly Roll took home the award for Breakthrough Male Video of the Year for “Son Of A Sinner.” After embracing his wife, Bunnie XO, the 39-year-old singer/songwriter took to the stage to accept the belt buckle trophy.
“They let a loser win tonight, baby,” he shouted. “They let a loser win tonight.”
He went on to thank those who made this possible for him. “I wanna thank my record label Stoney Creek, I wanna thank my management, I wanna thank my beautiful wife, miss Bunnie DeFord. This is more than an award. First of all, this is for the fans, baby, the only fan-voted awards show in America. This is for the underdogs, baby, this is for the losers and the have-nots. God takes the impossible and makes it look small. Let’s go, baby!”
Later in the broadcast, the “NEED A FAVOR” singer was presented with the award for Male Video Of The Year for his chart-topping hit, “Son Of A Sinner.”
“I love y’all so much. Thank you, CMT Baby. Look at that, three awards in one night,” Jelly Roll, who is now a three-time CMT Music Awards winner, said. ”I hope y’all give me a second here, I’m a little emotional. I started drinking, because I didn’t think I was gonna win again.” He went on to say, “It may have looked like it was only 30 yards, but it took me 39 years to walk from over there to right here.”
Jelly Roll then shared a motivational message with fans.
“I want you to know that I don’t know what you’re going through and I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I know you can overcome it. I promise you, you can…and you can be whatever you want to be, I promise you that,” he added. ”I told them I wanted to be a country music singer and I’m standing here at the CMT Awards with the Male Video Of The Year, baby. When God got something for you, nothing can get him away.”
He also shouted out his mom during his acceptance speech. “Mama, I know you’re watching, Mama, Look at your baby boy,” he said.
“I wanna thank Country Radio for accepting me, knowing who I was and letting me do it my way the whole way to this stage tonight,” Jelly Roll concluded. ”That means the world to me, y’all. And I wanna thank the country music community for standing behind me and standing next to me through all this, and for everybody in this crowd. Listen close, this will be the most important thing I say tonight, we’re shutting sixth street down tonight, baby. Meet me there.”
Additionally, the genre-bending hitmaker also took to the stage to perform his current single, “NEED A FAVOR,” during the coveted awards ceremony.
Joined by his full band and a choir, Jelly Roll belted out the lyrics to the tune.
“I only talk to God when I need a favor / And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer / So, who the hell am I, who the hell am I / To expect a Savior, oh / If I only talk to God when I need a favor / But God, I need a favor / Amen, amen,” he sings on the chorus.
Written by Jelly Roll, Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta and Rob Ragosta, “Need A Favor” was released to country radio in mid-February. The song details the story of a character who turns to prayer as he’s trying to convince his love interest to stick around. He realizes that he doesn’t necessarily deserve the favor, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes at this defining moment in his life.
“NEED A FAVOR” will appear on Jelly Roll’s upcoming new album, WHITSITT CHAPEL.
Arriving on June 2, the project is named after the church the Antioch native grew up attending and will feature 13 tracks.
WHITSITT CHAPEL serves as Jelly Roll’s debut full-length country record via BMG/Stoney Creek Records. Among the tracks featured will be his fan-favorite tune “Save Me,” “SHE,” and a collaboration with Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings.
“This album is about growth and gratitude happening in my life. I wanted to create a project that felt hopeful. I believe the worst feeling a person can have is feeling hopeless or worthless. This is therapeutic music. Real music for real people with real problems,” Jelly Roll shared in a statement.
Co-hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the 2023 CMT Music Awards featured performances from Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, and Tyler Hubbard.
Additionally, the show included one-of-a-kind collaborations, including a 10th anniversary of CMT Next Women of Country celebration featuring Alanis Morissette with Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Madeline Edwards, and Morgan Wade. Gwen Stefani and Carly Pearce joined forces for a special collaboration, while Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown teamed up for the television premiere of their chart-topping duet, “Thank God.”
The Black Crowes and Darius Rucker delivered a first-time collaboration of “She Talks To Angels,” and Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde will also take the stage together.
The show also included a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan from Gary Clark, Jr. and a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute from Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Slash & Warren Haynes and LeAnn Rimes & Wynonna Judd as honorary “Honkettes.”
Rising stars Avery Anna, Chapel Hart, Jackson Dean, Lily Rose, Nate Smith, and Megan Moroney made their CMT Music Awards performance debut on the Ram Trucks Side Stage.
Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Charles Esten, Dixie D’Amelio, Dustin Lynch, HARDY, Ian Bohen + Jen Landon (Yellowstone), Jon Pardi, LeAnn Rimes, Madison Bailey (Outer Banks), Max Thieriot (Fire Country), Megan Thee Stallion, Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Parker McCollum, Peter Frampton, Shania Twain, Steve Howey (True Lies) and Travis Kelce appeared as presenters.
The coveted awards show aired live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 2 at 8/7c on CBS. It was also available to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+.
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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