Jelly Roll Reveals His ‘Dream Collab in the Rock Space’ & The Song He’s ‘Petrified’ to Cover
Written by djfrosty on July 6, 2023
Jelly Roll recently made history on Billboard‘s country and rock charts, when “Need a Favor” became the first song to hit the top 10 on both the Country Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay charts. His recent album, Whitsitt Chapel, also crowned the Top Rock Albums chart and reached No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart.
In a new interview, the Antioch, Tennessee, native — who earned a Country Airplay leader earlier this year with “Son of a Sinner” — opened up about some of the artists he considers to be rock icons, noting to Audacy’s Check In that he would love to collaborate with Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor.
“That’s like my dream collab in the rock space right now,” Jelly Roll said. “He’s inspired me in so many ways musically. One, his approach to music, but two, his ability to constantly reinvent and re-create. I’m the epitome of a guy that reinvented himself, right? … I think we could lean into something really different. … He’s the king, to me, of taking those serious songs and those big ballads and making ‘em bangers.”
Jelly Roll also noted that another of his favorite artists is Bob Seger, and that he loves Seger’s 1980 top five Billboard Hot 100 hit “Against the Wind” — not that fans should expect Jelly Roll to cover the classic track anytime soon.
“I’ve thought about it, but man, I just don’t know that I could do anything for it,” he said. “Those songs that meant the most to me I’m petrified of. … These are my favorite songs ever, I’m just petrified to even pretend to sing ‘em.”
He also referenced Machine Gun Kelly‘s dual music and acting career. MGK’s film credits have included the 2018 thriller Bird Box with Sandra Bullock; the Motley Crue comedy-drama film The Dirt; and the western film The Last Son with Sam Worthington.
“I want to act, really bad,” Jelly Roll said. “I know it sounds weird. I never thought I would act, but I’ve been really inspired by what Machine Gun Kelly has done with his career [over] the last three years.”
Jelly Roll may not have announced any acting roles at the moment, but he is the star of his own recent documentary, Save Me, which traces his journey to becoming a hitmaker.