Jelly Roll fought back tears during a recent show after seeing a young fan’s sign in the audience that made him visibly emotional.
In new footage shared via TikTok over the weekend, the country crooner can be seen on-stage, delivering his hit “I Am Not Okay,” when he stopped for a moment in between lyrics to exclaim, “Whew!”—a clear indication that he was trying his best to power through the song.
The overwhelming emotions were caused by a little girl’s sign, which could be seen in the fan-captured video, as it was displayed on the concert screen during the show.
“Jelly Roll had a hard time getting through the song when he saw her sign,” overlay text on the clip explained.
“Jelly Roll, my mom-mom died last August,” the large handwritten cardboard note read, held by a young girl wearing a white t-shirt standing against the barricade. “She wrote your lyrics in her journal. If she could, she would be here!”
The tune’s lyrics, which paint the picture of someone battling a depressive state of sorts, but trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, reveal, “I am not okay / I’m barely getting by / I’m losing track of days / And losing sleep at night / I am not okay / I’m hanging on the rails / So if I say I’m fine / Just know I learned to hide it well.”
They continue, in part, “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 / It’s not okay / But we’re all gonna be alright.”
Fans in the comment section were all in their feels, too, admitting things like, “Now we are all crying.”
“Im so sorry little one,” that same TikTok user offered the girl.
Another commenter spoke on the “Save Me” artist’s perceived character, writing, “This is why i say jellyroll saved my life he is such a genuinely kind and beautiful soul as soon as he noticed her sign he didn’t take his eyes off that little girl he felt her pain famous hasn’t and I don’t think ever will change him we need more humans like him in this world.”
A third agreed with that sentiment, adding, “This is why we all love Jelly Roll. He didn’t get famous so that he can party and live a disposable life in excess. He is the kinda guy that sees his fame as a means to an end that allows him to connect with people and that’s beautiful.”
“As soon as he pointed immediately bursted into tears,” an additional viewer admitted (and let us just say… SAME).
Someone else empathized, “I feel for that lil girl. This video had my tears rolling❤️.”
The sentimental track was featured on the country crooner’s 2024-released studio album Beautifully Broken. It was written in collaboration with Taylor Phillips, Ashley Gorley, and Casey Brown, and produced by Zach Crowell.