Jelly Roll's one powerful moment had most ‘American Idol’ viewers in tears: 'I’m literally crying...'
Jelly Roll moved the fans to tears with his 'American Idol' performance! During an episode of 'American Idol' Season 23, which aired on April 20, the 'Need A Favor' hitmaker joined hands with the Christian music star Brandon Lake during the singing show to perform their remix of 'Hard Fought Hallelujah,' which was released on February 7, 2024. Originally, the track was released by Luke on November 8, 2024. At the time of writing, Roll and Lake's track, which revolves around "the battles we face, the grit throughout the fight for faith, and the praise that comes after," has raked in over 12 million views on YouTube and has nearly 11 million streams on Spotify. Earlier this year, in April, the duo also released a gospel remix of the song.
When 'American Idol' uploaded the video of the duo's performance on YouTube, the fans couldn't stop gushing over them. One social media user stopped by the comments section and wrote, "As soon as Jelly started singing, I got instant goosebumps all over! This is the first time I have ever heard this song, & it got me all emotional to the point of crying. I’ve never had that sort of experience before !" Another user penned, "Beautiful! I am literally crying right now. The way Jelly Roll has turned his life around so he could walk with Jesus! Amazing God's Grace!"
Followed by a third user who quipped, "To God be the Glory, Great things He has done and continue to do The anointing, the presence of God, was so present. God bless you, Brandon and Jelly. Hallelujah, amen." A user commented, "Watching Jelly grow up as an artist over this last 6 years has been life-changing as a fan. Thank you, Jason DeFord, for breaking down the veil and opening up your heart to the world. Trust in God, and God will place you in places that you never thought were possible." Another netizen exclaimed, "I absolutely love Brandon Lake and love that Jelly Roll joined him on this song. We praise you, King Jesus!!"
Once the episode dropped, Lake took to his Instagram page and candidly spoke about his great experience on the ABC singing show. "American Idol!!! Y'all, I can’t speak highly enough about my experience. Everyone on the team was so incredibly hospitable, generous, and downright kind. I can truly say I experienced the kindness of Jesus on and off the stage. @americanidol, thank you for the opportunity, but more so, thank you for treating us so, so well. As if I weren’t already a major fan, I’m over the top now. I’m a lifer," Lake wrote in the caption of the post.
View this post on Instagram
Just a week ago, Roll and Luke appeared on an episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to promote their song 'Hard Fought Hallelujah.' While having a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the talk show, Roll stated that he instantly fell in love with the song when he heard it for the first time and reached out to Lake. As per UPI, Roll shared, "I was like, 'I love this song, man. I connect with it.' I was like, 'We have to do that song'."