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Jelly Roll Searches for Serenity During Tough Times on ‘I Am Not Okay’

Jelly Roll Searches for Serenity During Tough Times on ‘I Am Not Okay’
Jon Blistein
By Jon BlisteinJun 12, 2024
Jon Blistein
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Country star Jelly Roll has released his new single, “I Am Not Okay,” the musician’s first solo offering since his hit 2023 album, Whitsitt Chapel.

The tender tune is centered around the pluck of an acoustic guitar but becomes massive with stadium-sized drums, atmospheric synths, and even some orchestral flourishes. But, obviously, leading the way is Jelly Roll’s singular voice, as he bellows, “I know I can’t be the only one/Who’s holding on for dear life/But God knows, I know/When it’s all said and done/I’m not okay/But it’s all gonna be alright.” 

“I Am Not Okay” is the first official offering from Jelly Roll’s next album, which is expected to arrive later this year. The musician debuted the track last month on the season finale of The Voice. A week before that, at the 2024 ACM Awards, he premiered another still-unreleased tune, “Liar,” which is also expected to appear on the upcoming LP. 

While “I Am Not Okay” is Jelly Roll’s first new solo song of 2024, he has released a couple of collaborations, like “Best for Me” with Joyner Lucas, and “All My Life” with Falling in Reverse. Kane Brown also just revealed that the two have new song on the way about mental health and finding community during hard times. 

Along with preparing to release new music later this year, Jelly Roll has a massive North American tour slated for later this year (the trek kicks off Aug. 27 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and wraps Oct. 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina). Over the past few months, though, he’s played a handful of festivals and made some very special guest appearances as well: During his Stagecoach set, he tapped T-Pain for a cover of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”; at Welcome to Rockville, he linked up with Limp Bizkit for their cover of the Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes”; at Hangout, he sang “Sweet Home Alabama” with Lana Del Rey; in Dallas, he sang “Cowboy” with Kid Rock (in a Cybertruck no less); and, most recently, in Detroit, he joined Eminem for an updated version of “Sing for the Moment.” 

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