As the GRAMMYs near, Jelly Roll is reflecting on his first-ever nominations and the hard work, dedication and sacrifice it took to get him there.

“It’s the ultimate ultimate,” the 39-year-old told Audacy’s Katie Neal of his nominations for New Artist and Country Duo/Group Performance for his song “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson. “When you get nominated for a GRAMMY, every other accolade you’ve had takes a backseat to just the nomination.”

The pair of nominations is the perfect representation of Jelly’s self-described “ground-shattering year” as he skyrocketed to ultra-fame with three #1 singles on the Country charts and impacted millions with his messages of hope, resilience and faith.

“It’s crazy to be nominated for New Artist at the GRAMMYs and win it at the CMAs going into the year I’ll be 40, It’s insanely unreal,” he said before detailing he’s excited to continue impacting people with his platform. “My thing is, how can I continue to help people? I want to be a man of service more than anything.”

While his impact has been grand, it hasn’t come without sacrifice for the Nashville-native who says his personal goal in 2024 is to spend more time with family. “I gotta get back to my family a little bit. One of the costs of having a stellar year was sacrificing a little bit of personal time with the family. I’m just spread so thin, I want to make sure I can get back to gettin’ in the bunker with them.”

As he works to find a balance between it all, Jelly says he has some good friends and fellow artists helping him find his way and make sure he has support. At the top of that list is Country artist, Eric Church.

“Eric Church has been really good at answering my questions in detail and me being able to kinda talk to him about anything and just really kind of articulate through it,” Jelly said with gratitude for Church’s selfless nature. “He’s really helped me a lot… and he’s just been really cool to lean on. Kid Rock is that way too… Miranda [Lambert] is another one.”

With more support than ever, a solid fan base and a strong drive to continue making a difference, Jelly is fired up about where he’s headed next — not only with his philanthropic efforts, but music as well.

“We’ve been writing a ton,” he said of his work towards a new album. “I’m really fired up about where I am in the writing process for the next album. I’m way far ahead of the hog on this one.”

Hear more about the music, his GRAMMY nominations and more by checking out Jelly’s full interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above. Plus, be sure to tune into the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards this Sunday (February 4) to see if Jelly’s big-time nominations turn into wins.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal