Jelly Roll and Wynonna Judd kicked off the 2023 CMA Awards ceremony on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with a rousing rendition of the former’s hit “Need a Favor.”
The performance began with just Jelly on stage with his choir backing him up, the stage behind him set up to resemble a church. Then in a surprise, The Judds singer glided onto the stage to join him for the first chorus. She was not previously announced as a performer.
“I only talk to God when I need a favor/ And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer,” she belted out, her vocals strong and clear. “So who the hell am I/ Who the hell am I to expect a savior?”
I first met Jelly Roll last year on the CMA Red Carpet and I knew he was something special. For this year's show, he'll be performing twice - once with K. Michelle for a tribute to the Judds.
"She loves country. She's about as country as collard green. So this is really cool man," said Jelly Roll.
And his other song is being kept under wraps.
"I think we're gonna take the CMAs to church with that song, dude," said Jelly Roll. "I think nobody's gonna see it comin'. I didn't see it comin'. It's gonna be fun."
After leaving the stage, Judd spoke about the performance to reporters in the CMA Awards press room. "It was too much. He's so powerful and great at what he does," said the "Why Not Me" musician. "I was so nervous and so excited."
Judd then opened up about how it felt to deliver such a performance decades into her career. "I don't know how many more of these moments I have left, but I can tell you — that was definitely top 10 for me," she told reporters. "Jelly Roll is a force to be reckoned with."
She explained that her first encounter with Jelly Roll went down at the CMT Awards earlier this year, where they both performed. "I didn't know anything about him until the CMT Awards, and I stood up out of my seat because he rocked my world," recalled Judd.
20,000-seat venues nationwide are filling with a demographic of fans willing to save for months to watch a two-hour Jelly Roll headlining set, added Hahr.
"Jelly Roll is part of a proud moment for country music where we're infiltrating pop culture and music's mainstream expectation," Hahr said.
"We are going to keep getting Jelly in all of the right rooms and then back up and allow him to tell his story and showcase the various intangibles that allow him to belong [anywhere and everywhere]," Loba added.
For Jelly Roll, however, the strategy is simple.
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