Originally published in The Christian Post
After winning three Grammy Awards, Jelly Roll used the stage to share the Gospel with millions watching the live show, reminding them that “anybody can have a relationship with Jesus.”
At the Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Country Album for his 2024 album, Beautifully Broken, Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song with Brandon Lake for Hard Fought Hallelujah and Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Shaboozey for Amen.
After winning the Grammy for best contemporary country album, the 41-year-old singer credited Jesus and his “beautiful wife,” former OnlyFans star Alisa DeFord, for changing his life.
“I know they’re going to try to kick me off here, so just let me try to get this out. First of all, Jesus, I hear you and I’m listening, Lord. I am listening, Lord,” Jelly Roll said from the stage.
“I would have never changed my life without you. I’d have ended up dead or in jail. I’d have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus. I thank you for that,” he said. “There was a time in my life, y’all, that I was broken. That’s why I wrote this album. I didn’t think I had a chance, y’all. There was days that I thought the darkest things. I was a horrible human.”
Holding up a pocket-sized Bible, he continued, “There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size and a 6-by-8-foot cell. And I believe that those two things could change my life. I believe that music had the power to change my life. And God had the power to change my life.”
“I want to tell y’all right now, Jesus is for everybody,” he added. “Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus, and anybody can have a relationship with Him. I love you, Lord.”
The 2026 Grammys aired live before an estimated 12 000 attendees and millions of viewers worldwide.
On social media, Lake expressed his excitement over the win: “HARD FOUGHT HALLELUJAH JUST WON A GRAMMY?! THANK YOU JESUS,” he wrote, also thanking Jelly Roll and the Grammys.
Evangelist Franklin Graham also called Jelly Roll’s proclamation of faith the “only bright spot” at the awards show, adding: “[He] gave a clear testimony of how the power of God — the Word of God — transformed his life. Thank you Jelly Roll for being brave and taking a stand in front of this audience and the world. You’re absolutely right — Jesus Christ is for everybody!”
Released in November 2024, Hard Fought Hallelujah debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The song also spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and hit No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart.
Last October, Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake won three Dove Awards for Hard Fought Hallelujah, a song they performed with Jon Batiste during the awards ceremony.
Jelly Roll, who has often credited his faith for his personal transformation, spoke candidly about redemption while accepting the Dove Award for Hard Fought Hallelujah, challenging audiences to live out their faith.
“I was thinking about Matthew, when he talks about belief, when he said, ‘When I was hungry, you fed me, when I was thirsty.’ … I’m standing here because people took time with me. The world is hearing about Jesus like they have never before. Put faith on your feet and feet on your faith,” he said.
Jelly Roll is currently a judge on the hit Netflix show Star Search, where he also proclaimed the Gospel last week after a contestant performed Hard Fought Hallelujah.
“I prayed this morning. I said, God, give me an opportunity to talk about you,” he said after contestant Bear Bailey’s performance of his hit song. “Night one was great, but I didn’t get to live on my purpose yet. God, you called me here to talk about you.”
“What I just seen [sic] was a room full of people that might not have ever felt it before, but that is called the Holy Spirit of God,” Jelly Roll said. “He don’t [sic] care anything about your past. He doesn’t care what you’ve been through. He doesn’t care about your drug addiction. He is your Father.”
Lake, who made his first Top 40 hit with Hard Fought Hallelujah, recently told the Associated Press he’s excited for the Gospel to reach a larger audience as Christian music gains more crossover appeal.
“It’s the marriage of awesome production with an awesome message. A message of hope,” Lake said. “There is strength that can be found, and hope that can be found, in the midst of the hell that you are walking through. And then you pair that with like an awesome sound, and it’s like, who’s not going to love that?”
“I think it is a crossover moment and I pray that it is. I’m trying to cross over, into any and every space that God will allow that is authentic to who I am,” he added. “I grew up on country music; I grew up on Christian music. … And if you listen to my music, it is very diverse, you know? Quote-unquote Christian music, worship music … it doesn’t really make sense having a genre, because it’s what we do with our lives. It’s not a sound.”
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