Jelly Roll kicked the doors off the country music world last year with Whitsitt Chapel. Since the album dropped, his career has been a whirlwind of big shows, hit singles, and awards. His list of accolades includes CMA New Artist of the Year, two Grammy nominations, three CMT Music Awards wins, and more. Later this week, the world will find out if he is the ACM Entertainer of the Year.
Videos by American Songwriter
As one would expect, the Entertainer of the Year category is full of impressive names. Jelly Roll is up against Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson. In a recent interview, the Antioch, Tennessee native revealed that he doesn’t believe he deserves to be in the category.
[RELATED: 2024 ACM Awards: Full List of Presenters, Performers and Nominees]
Jelly Roll recently sat down with Country Now to talk about the ACM Award nomination, why he doesn’t think he deserves it, and who it would pick to win.
Jelly Roll on His ACM Entertainer of the Year Award Nomination
“I don’t think I deserve to be in the category. I think I’m there a little bit early,” Jelly Roll said. “I appreciate the nod, and it means a lot that I got it, and I am truly honored,” he added. “But I mean, when you look at guys like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, they’re selling out stadiums.”
On the other hand, Jelly realizes that his opinion on whether he deserves to be in the running or not doesn’t account for much. The Academy of Country Music believes he belongs in the running. So do many of his fans who have seen him live. He said that after reading reviews of his concerts he feels like maybe he does belong there. However, he added, “The kid in my looks at that category and goes, ‘Man, there’s a dog fight in the top three or four and I’m just kind of on the outside of that dog fight. Just glad to be here.’ That’s how I feel about it,” he said.
If he could pick the winner, Jelly Roll knows who would walk away with the coveted hardware. “Frankly, if I could give the award away myself, I would give it to Cody Johnson,” he revealed. “I don’t think anybody’s going to do more shows than him this year. I don’t think anybody works harder than him. And I don’t know if y’all have ever seen a Cody Johnson live show, but I mean it’s like he’s riding a bull,” he added. He then compared CoJo’s concerts to “an old school Garth Brooks show.”
Featured Image by Sarah Kerver/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.