Jelly Roll Urges Christians to Spread the Love of Jesus During Emotional Dove Awards Speech

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Country artist Jelly Roll urged the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ during an impassioned, faith-centered speech while accepting Song of the Year at the 2025 Dove Awards. 

Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake won Song of the Year (Hard Fought Hallelujah), while Forrest Frank took home Artist of the Year and Leanna Crawford New Artist of the Year at the annual event, which was held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast Friday on TBN. Lake took home five awards, while Frank won three. 

The Song of the Year winner was a collaboration between top artists in their respective genres who became friends and then advocates for reaching the lost.

“I don't know anybody who has a heart for the broken and the lost like this man does, and he has reignited a passion,” Lake said, referencing Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord. “I'm all for edifying the saints, but y'all – we are out here to reach the lost and to see the lost become found.” 

Over the past year, Jelly Roll promoted the song on national platforms, including an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he said he enjoyed the song even before meeting Lake, who had originally recorded Hard Fought Hallelujah as a solo track. Jelly Roll frequently noted that the song helped him reconnect with his faith, saying earlier this year, “I haven't had a record touch me like that in so long.”

Speaking at the Dove Awards, Jelly Roll cited Scripture.

“I was thinking about Matthew, when he talks about the least, when he said, ‘When I was hungry, you fed me, when I was thirsty, you gave me water, when I was in jail, you came and visited me,’” Jelly Roll said, quoting the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:36.

“And I realized that I'm standing here because people took time with the least. And I want to get this message as clear as I can. Right now the world is hearing about Jesus like they haven’t in decades,” he said to loud cheers, referencing a movement of God across the nation that some have described as a revival.

He encouraged Christians to love others as Jesus loves them. 

“You can't go on a corner and not hear about Jesus right now. And while we are hearing about Jesus, I encourage you to put faith on your feet and feet on your faith and walk out of this building and go do for the least. They heard Jesus – now show them Jesus.” 

Jelly Roll, seemingly touched by an invocation to an awards show dedicated to faith, grew emotional.

“My son's watching this. I think this is awesome he gets to watch an award show like this. I thank God that I can see the forest for the trees.”

Other winners included Elevation Worship, Chris Brown and Lake’s I Know a Name (Worship Song of the Year); Phil Wickham’s The Jesus Way (Inspirational Song of the Year); Tamela Mann’s Live Breathe Fight (Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year); CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar’s Come Jesus Come (Gospel Worship Song of the Year); The King of Kings (Feature Film of the Year); The Chosen (Television Series of the Year); The Nelons’ Loving You (Southern Gospel Album of the Year); and Hulvey’s CRY (Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year).

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jason Davis/Stringer

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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