Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson receive a standing ovation after singing 'Save Me' at the iHeartRadio Music Awards

At the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday (April 1) night, Jelly Roll went to church at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

After an introduction from his old tour mates, Shinedown, Jelly Roll took the stage, surrounded by hundreds of glowing votive candles on a stage that resembled a prismatic church. After briefly tearing up, the country producer began singing “Save Me,” the Lainey Wilson duet that topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart late last year.

As he walked towards the audience, Jelly Roll seemed to gain strength as he watched the people in the front row sing along and wave their hands. Soon, Lainey Wilson – black leather bell bottoms and a down jacket – joined him on stage. Her vocal performance was just as passionate and masterfully controlled as his, and the two were clearly thrilled to be sharing the stage together. By the end, Jelly Roll was sparkling, and they both broke into good-natured laughter as the song ended.

Accepting the awards for Best New Artist (Pop) and Best New Artist (Country), Jelly Roll kept the congregation vibrating with a passionate speech about his life and what it meant to him to win these awards on such a big stage .

“My mom always told me I had a radio face, baby!” he said laughing. “I would never have dreamed that I would be one of the voices coming out of your radio…. You don't know what it means to a kid like me. What does it mean when a guy like me gets the chance to be the new pop artist of the year?' he asked, referring to his turbulent youth, which saw him spend 12 years in and out of prison. “It means that God will always use the least likely messenger with the greatest message, every time,” he said. “I love you, Jesus, and I love you, Bunny, my wife.”