Jelly Roll Reveals the Inspiration Behind His New ‘Beautifully Broken’ Album

Photo byEric Ryan Anderson

A new album is coming from Jelly Roll. The Nashville native announces the release of Beautifully Broken, out on October 11. The record, a follow-up to his 2023 Whitsitt Chapel project, includes his current Top 15 single, “I Am Not Okay,” plus “Liar,” and a brand-new track, “Get By,” the latter which is also the ESPN anthem for this season of college football.

For many years, Jelly Roll used music as a way to make a living. But now, with Beautifully Broken, his goal for the record goes far beyond any dreams of financial success.

“I’m looking for songs that have a purpose,” Jelly Roll tells the New York Times (via People). “When I go to put out a song under the name Jelly Roll, I think to myself, Why? Because for the first time in my life, it has nothing to do with a financial decision. I’m well past putting out anything for money. So, now, it really is a why.”

Included on Beautifully Broken is a song called “Winning Streak,” which was inspired by Jelly Roll’s insistence on attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Although no longer struggling with addiction, the Nashville native still imbibes, but vows to have a healthy relationship with any substance he intakes.

Photo byCourtesy of BBR Music Group

“Something I do to maintenance my relationship with those drugs is I still attend the meetings but I never share,” Jelly Roll explains. “I just quietly sit and appreciate the message and the meaning.”

“This is the first time that I’ve talked about this publicly,” he continues. “I don’t tell people I go to meetings. So I just sit and I watch, and this kid, he’s going through it. You can tell. One of the old men sitting in there was like: ‘Look, man. It’s all good. Nobody came in here on a winning streak.'”

Jelly Roll has already dropped several hints about Beautifully Broken, including when the record would be out, and that the songs would reflect the happy place he is in in his own life right now.

“I do have a couple of fun songs on this album,” Jelly Roll says on Audacy’s Katie & Company. “It was cool because I’m in a different headspace than I’ve ever been, so I was in a cool place to be able to write like that. I wrote most of my career from extreme, dark hopelessness, which I still write from, but I think this was like, I’ve had enough cool experiences. My music will always favor the fall.”

Photo byCourtesy of the CMA

All of Jelly Roll’s music, going back to the early years of his career, including his big hit, “Save Me,” have a personal perspective in them. It’s how the 39-year-old often processes his thoughts and feelings. But Jelly Roll also wants his music to help others, something that has always been important to him, now more than ever.

“I’m just able to write a couple of fun ones,” Jelly Roll says. “I am now trying to write from the perspective of the people the music helps. I wrote it from a personal perspective, but I realized that so many people felt the way I felt, now it’s just trying to surround myself … There were so many songs that were written from such unique points. I didn’t write any song on this album to try to be a hit. I wrote every song to be impactful. They have a real meaning. Like ‘Liar,’ I want you to listen to it a few times.”

Beautifully Broken is available for pre-order now. Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken Tour kicks off on August 27, with Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay serving as his opening acts. Find all of his music and upcoming shows at JellyRoll615.com.