A Song of Faith and a Voice That Feels Like Home: Jelly Roll Joins Brooks & Dunn at the 2024 CMA Awards

At the 2024 CMA Awards, Jelly Roll stepped onto the stage with Brooks & Dunn for a moving rendition of “Believe,” a song about loss, faith, and the hope of something more. Under the soft spotlight and wrapped in a stillness rare for an awards show, the performance began quietly, just a story about an older man and the boy who listened. But as the lyrics unfolded, so did the emotion as it started building verse by verse into something sacred.

The strength of this version came not just from the words but from how Jelly Roll delivered them. His voice carried both grit and grace, layering beautifully with the familiar tone of Brooks & Dunn. You could hear the ache in the verses, the reverence in the chorus and the quiet surrender behind the line “I believe.” In the final moments, Jelly Roll raised his hand to the sky, whispering, “I love you, Lord,” and the arena responded with thunderous applause. It wasn’t a showstopper, it was a soul-stopper.

Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll – Believe | 2024 CMA Awards Performance

Fans online echoed the sentiment. Many called it the most emotional performance of the night. Others said Jelly Roll’s voice gave the song a new depth, a blend of pain and hope that felt lived-in, and not just sung. For an artist who’s shared his struggles with addiction, faith and redemption, this wasn’t just a collaboration; it was a full-circle moment.

And that circle turns again in his new song “Dead End Road,” featured on Twisters: The Album. Where “Believe” looks upward, “Dead End Road” stares straight into the dark. Jelly Roll sings of chaos, self-destruction, and the fear of going too far to come back. His voice is raw, haunted by the knowledge that you can love the wrong path even as it destroys you.

Jelly Roll – Dead End Road (From Twisters: The Album) [Official Music Video]

There’s no pretending in “Dead End Road.” It’s full of brutal honesty lines about pills, running from light and hearing the devil in the passenger seat. But between the crashes and confessions, there’s still a whisper of something else: the desire to change. The hope is that maybe, just maybe, he can still turn the wheel around.

That’s what makes Jelly Roll so compelling. Whether he’s singing in a church-quiet arena or roaring through a country-rock anthem, he never hides. He brings all of himself scars, faith, doubt, and grit and dares us to do the same. In a world full of polished songs, he offers truth. And people believe in that.

Jelly Roll – Playlist