Jelly Roll had a personal connection to Taylor Swift long before their paths crossed, and he finally shared it with her at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
In his People cover story published Wednesday (Nov. 20), the 39-year-old country star reflected on his nervous encounter with Swift during February’s ceremony. “My wife [podcaster Bunnie XO] said, ‘I think Taylor’s coming over to holler at you,"” he recalled. “It was like the Red Sea parted for her.”
Jelly Roll explained his deep connection to Swift stems from his 16-year-old daughter, Bailee, and their shared Tennessee roots. “I take a ridiculous, probably abnormal, amount of pride in being from Nashville, so anytime I can link a Tennessee connect, it tickles me,” he told People. He recalled how Swift, who once lived in Hendersonville, Tenn., donated a playground to the community. “I used to push Bailee on that swing set that Taylor donated to Hendersonville,” he said.
However, the “Son of a Sinner” singer admitted to feeling overwhelmed when meeting the pop star. “I was so nervous,” he said. “I’m looking at Taylor Swift, and I have a reason to explain to her why I like her so much, and I’m going, ‘You built the swing set somewhere, my daughter, I pushed her on it.’ I did so bad! Definitely was at a loss for words in that moment.”
Despite his nerves, Swift appeared delighted to meet her fellow Tennessean. In a video posted by Bunnie, the “Karma” singer hugged Jelly Roll after taking a photo with him. “When your hubby gets to meet his crush finally,” the Dumb Blonde host captioned the clip.
That night, Swift won album of the year for Midnights, while Jelly Roll was nominated for best new artist, a category ultimately won by Victoria Monét. Both artists are poised for success at the 2025 Grammys, with Swift receiving nominations for song, record, and album of the year for “Fortnight” and The Tortured Poets Department, while Jelly Roll is up for best country song and best country solo performance for “I Am Not Okay.”
Since the Grammy ceremony, Jelly Roll has celebrated significant milestones, including his first No. 1 album, Beautifully Broken, released in October. He is currently on tour supporting the record and, as announced Tuesday (Nov. 19), will join Post Malone for a North American stadium tour starting in April.