From the New York Times, this is the interview.

I'm David Marcasey.

I think we've all had the experience of feeling pretty low and wanting to put on a song.

It doesn't necessarily fix things, but the song can have the effect of feeling like someone has

reached out and put a hand on our shoulder.

For me, the musicians who do that are Joanie Mitchell or Prince.

Prince is sometimes it snows in April is when I listen to a lot when things are rough.

But for many Americans today, the artist who they're turning to in those

moments is Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll's real name is Jason D Ford and he's the rare singer

who's been able to cross over on the pop, rock, and country charts,

which means a ton of different types of people are really into his music.

And his songs are almost all about struggling to get by, which is something he knows about.

He's a burly face tattooed singer from Antioch, Tennessee, and he was in and out of prison starting

as a teenager and into his mid-20s.

He's dealt with loss and addiction and years of professional

frustration, but in 2021 when he was 36, his music career finally started

taking off. Jellyroll is launching a cross-country headlining arena

tour this month and has a new highly anticipated album coming in the fall.

He was also nominated for the best new artist award of the Grammys this year.

But he's become something more than just a star.

He's also a figure of hope.

Many of his fans see in him someone who has experience

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