How Jelly Roll Crafted the First No. 1 Album of His Career With ‘Beautifully Broken’

Following his 2023’s breakthrough album, Whitsitt Chapel, Jelly Roll has become a country superstar widely embraced for the former rapper’s confessional, salvation-seeking songs and his larger-than-life personality, as well as his redemption arc as a former convict.  

As he began promoting and releasing songs from his follow up release, Oct. 11’s Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll also made it very clear on social media that debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 would be the realization of a dream. That dream came true this week, when the set entered atop the chart with 161,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. for the week ending Oct. 17, according to Luminate — the artist’s best week ever by units and the third-largest week, by units, for any country album in 2024.  

The work began more than a year ago, as Jelly Roll began writing and recording songs for the new album. He worked closely with Katie Kerkhover, vp of A&R for Nashville-based BMG/BBR Music Group (which released the album in conjunction with Republic), whose own background as a musician helped inform her work with Jelly Roll. And her contributions to Beautifully Broken help earn Kerkhover the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.   

Here, Kerkhover discusses the making of the album from the “vision” Jelly Roll took into its creation, his sense of purpose in recording every song and the intention behind picking his duet partners from several different genres, as well as the non-stop promotion efforts that brought it over the line.  

Beautifully Broken debuted at No. 1, something that Jelly Roll made clear was his goal. What decisions did you make in the making of the album that you felt would increase its chances for a No. 1 debut?  

Jelly has a very strong vision for the impact he wants to make with his music. It has a purpose. Every song he writes has a purpose. Making sure his heart and the gravity of his messages was the constant that was guiding everyone was critical in making the album. Encouraging those involved, who have their fingerprints on it with him, to bring that emotion out of their own contributions was vital. Making sure the production and mixes were mirroring Jelly’s emotions. He was creating until the absolute last moments, so having trust in each other when we were counting the hours on the final touches was also extremely important. Don’t forget, he was finishing this album while he was in the middle of tour. 

This album was a joint project with Republic. What was the division of duties in terms of the A&R?  

Jelly started working on this album in 2023. He had already defined a solid foundation and clear direction, so when Republic joined the team, we all knew what we were aiming at. There wasn’t so much a division of duties as more of how we work together to add the most value to Jelly. What strengths do we have separately and together to elevate his vision and hit his goals. 

Was there a mission statement from the moment you started recording tracks for what Jelly Roll wanted the album to be?  

There wasn’t any more of a mission statement than what you hear him continuously say, “I make real music, for real people, with real problems.” When we started to go through songs in 2023, we listened to every song he had written and focused on the ones with the strongest impact. Did we feel something? One of the things I admire most about Jelly is he always comes back to the purpose and to the why. “Why am I cutting this song? What purpose is it filling on the album and in the lives of others?”  

Jelly Roll duets with a number of artists, country and otherwise, on Beautifully Broken, including Halsey, Keith Urban and Wiz Khalifa. How were his duet partners chosen and how does the diversity of the artists broaden the album’s appeal?  

The collaborators were chosen by who Jelly felt the song would resonate with. Who would be the best person to add their talent and continue to elevate the song? As far as the broader appeal, Jelly is a huge music lover and that’s why you see so much diversity in his collaborators on this album. I think it’s only natural that the appeal is broadened because he creates without boundaries and, ultimately, the human factor is what connects all of us. Fun fact: he also knows more about the history of songs, artists and genres than anyone I’ve met, so his well of potential collaborators runs deep.  

“I’m Not Okay” tackles mental health and is a Hot 100 hit for Jelly Roll. How has that song brought him a new audience?  

We all have times we struggle and are not okay. The message of this song transcends genres and resonates deeply with listeners. Jelly has the courage to share his personal struggles through candid lyrics, revealing a vulnerability that really enables him to connect with a broader audience, including those who may not have been familiar with his earlier work. 

There are several different configurations of Beautifully Broken, ranging from 14 to 28 tracks. How was the sequencing for each project decided to convey a cohesive work no matter what variation fans were buying?   

We selected the initial 14 as the first collection for vinyl because he was still writing. The sequencing is tied together by the overarching message that Beautifully Broken is a reflection on his experiences with mental health and addiction, and the idea that winning comes from losing. The road to atonement has no shortcuts and there will be highs and lows along the way. It all began once he selected “Winning Streak” to be the opening track of the album.  

Beautifully Broken achieves the third largest week for a country album in 2024, behind Beyoncé and Post Malone. What does that mean to Stoney Creek/BBR?  

Jelly’s success speaks volumes about the incredible connection he shares with his audience. His fan base is broad and deeply passionate, showing up in full force for every project. This relationship helps fuel our growth as a team, pushing us to innovate and strategically add resources that make sense. Our collaboration with Republic on this project is one example. 

But the real driving force behind this achievement is Jelly himself. The sheer amount of work he poured into creating and promoting this album is nothing short of mind blowing. For two months leading up to its release, Jelly didn’t have a single free minute. Every ounce of his energy was devoted to making this album the best it could be, and the results speak for themselves. His work ethic, paired with the passion of his fans, made this project a true success. 

You come from a publishing background. How did that help you approach picking songs for this album? 

I’ve had a long and extensive career as a touring musician, having played violin since the age of four. Before I turned 20, I was performing hundreds of shows a year with Nashville artists like Sara Evans and Billy Currington, playing at the biggest country festivals and stadiums. 

What I set out to do was take my real-life musical experience and transform it into a tool to help songwriters and artists master their craft. A great example of that is from late 2020 when I joined BMG as a publishing A&R. One of the first things I did was bring in the incredibly talented songwriter/producer Austin Niveral, just as the label was signing Jelly Roll. I immediately saw the potential for the two to collaborate, [then-BMG Nashville president] Jon Loba recognized my strengths and ultimately appointed me to lead A&R for the label side. As we know, Jelly and Austin would go on to write the massive hit “Need A Favor” from Whitsitt Chapel, and they continued their partnership with Beautifully Broken, setting the tone for the album with “Winning Streak.”

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