Jelly Roll was moved to tears watching Kelly Clarkson’s powerful cover of his song, and it’s easy to see why—his voice is truly unique, but Kelly’s ability to make any song her own is undeniable. Both artists exude genuine humility, with Jelly Roll constantly expressing gratitude for his success and Kelly maintaining a down-to-earth attitude despite her fame. Their mutual talent, authenticity, and respect for each other make them two of the most beloved figures in music today.
Kelly Clarkson covered one of Jelly Roll’s most impactful songs during a recent episode of her daily talk show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, and her powerful rendition made the rapper-turned-country singer cry.
Clarkson features her covers of popular songs in a segment of her show called Kellyoke, where she takes on selections from across all genres. She took the stage on Thursday (Feb. 15) to perform “Save Me,” which Jelly Roll released as a duet with Lainey Wilson in 2023.
Clarkson raised the key several steps to accent her enormous vocal range, delivering the song with an edge that gave it an almost rock feel. Her rendition heightened the tension in the chorus, lending the song even greater intensity than the original:
Jelly Roll turned to social media after seeing the clip, expressing amazement that an artist as prominent as Clarkson had chosen to highlight one of his songs.
“I would’ve never believed you if you would’ve told me that I’d write a song so impactful that incredible Kelly Clarkson would deem it worthy to cover,” Jelly Roll writes.
“Thank you Kelly — wow — I’m honored in a way I can’t even described — I cried watching it,” he adds.
I would’ve never believed you if you would’ve told me that I’d write a song so impactful that incredible Kelly Clarkson would deem it worthy to cover . Thank you Kelly- wow – I’m honored in a way I can’t even described – I cried watching it @kellyclarkson
— Jelly Roll (@JellyRoll615) February 16, 2024
Jelly Roll originally included “Save Me” on his Self Medicated album in 2020. He added Wilson for a remix that he released to country radio as the second single from his first official country album, Whitsitt Chapel, in May of 2023.
The duet version of the song reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, and it scored nominations for Musical Event of the Year at the 2023 CMA Awards, as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Jelly Roll has taken the country music world by storm over the past year, and he will release his first full-length country album, Whitsitt Chapel, on June 2. Before he jumps right into the deepend of the genre, let’s take a walk down memory lane. There are 11 songs that seemed to foreshadow his country music career.
“Save Me”
There’s a reason Jelly Roll is including “Save Me” on his upcoming country album: It’s a country song through and through. What has become a duet with Lainey Wilson started as a simple acoustic track. The lyrics speak to a man who feels like he’s messed up so many times in his life that he his beyond saving. Although the woman in his life could be his savior, he tells her not to waste her time on him. Instead, he’ll just wallow in his own self pity and accept life as it is. If that don’t sound like the cowboy mentality, what does?
