Jelly Roll’s journey to fitness was featured in a video on social media on Tuesday to tease his upcoming song.
Jelly roll dropped a surprise song on Wednesday with no prior warning.
Article continues below advertisement
“Surprise! New music here,” the country star shared on his Instagram Stories early Wednesday, announcing the release of Hands upa worship-inspired song that debuted weeks earlier as a surprise performance at CMA Fest this month.
Article continues below advertisement
Jelly Roll Surprise releases its new anthem ‘Hands Up’
To tease the release, Jelly Roll posted a video to social media on Tuesday that included a clip from an interview The Joe Rogan Experience with images of his ongoing physical transformation.
In the interview segment, he reflected on the moment he stopped making excuses about his health. “Every time I said I was going to lose weight, Joe, I said, I was lying to myself,” he said. “There’s a great person listening to this right now, or a drug addict, or someone who wants to change some part of their life and says, ‘I’m going to start next Monday.'”
Article continues below advertisement
The video started with the caption, “On day 1 I was walking in the rain,” alongside footage of a soaked Jelly Roll pushing through the weather. The clip then shows the singer running in the rain. “Today I’m sprinting in the rain. Because one day, not so long ago, I stopped lying to myself,” the lyrics read, as the song’s chorus plays in the background.
Article continues below advertisement
It ended with the message: “I barely made it to my driveway that day. I’m alive today because I haven’t lost faith. (expletive) Monday. Start today.”
A period of transition
The new music arrives during a period of significant transition for the artist.
Article continues below advertisement
Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from Bunnie XO on May 18, 2026 in Williamson County, Tennessee, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple’s divorce date is listed as May 9.
Despite the split, both Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO have spoken publicly about maintaining their friendship and their plans to have a child together through IVF.
Bunnie talked about the divorce on her podcast Stupid blondesaying, “We’re still having a baby together. We’re going to co-parent together. He’s my best friend. … J was so excited that we were having a baby together. We’re going to raise our little nugget as one big happy family.”
Article continues below advertisement
Jelly Roll also publicly addressed the split, saying, “My wife and I are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just talked on the phone earlier today. No one cheated on no one.”
The release also follows its strongest commercial trajectory to date. Whitsitt Chapelreleased in 2023, debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200. He followed it with Beautifully broken in 2024, which debuted at No. 1 on both the Top Country Albums chart and the Billboard 200.
Leave a Reply