Jelly Roll and Wynonna Judd.Photo:Terry Wyatt/Getty
Terry Wyatt/Getty
Jelly Rollsurprised the 2023CMA Awardscrowd with none other thanWynonna Judd!
Jelly Roll opened the performance, with the stage decorated like a church, before Judd joined him and held his arm while harmonizing on the song, released in December 2022 before hisWhitsitt Chapelalbum arrived earlier this year.
Jelly Roll and Wynonna Judd.Terry Wyatt/Getty
After leaving the stage, Judd spoke about the performance to reporters in the CMA Awards press room. “It was too much. He’s so powerful and great at what he does,” said the “Why Not Me” musician. “I was so nervous and so excited.”
Judd then opened up about how it felt to deliver such a performance decades into her career. “I don’t know how many more of these moments I have left, but I can tell you — that was definitely top 10 for me,” she told reporters. “Jelly Roll is a force to be reckoned with.”
She explained that her first encounter with Jelly Roll went down at the CMT Awards earlier this year, where they both performed. “I didn’t know anything about him until the CMT Awards, and I stood up out of my seat because he rocked my world,” recalled Judd.
Jelly Roll.Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
“I ran up to him and [wife Bunnie XO] afterwards, and I said, ‘I need to know the two of you,’ and I just kind of threw myself at them and said, ‘I need to be a part of your world, and I don’t know what that looks like,’ so here we are,” she detailed.
Jelly Roll.Jason Davis/WireImage
Jason Davis/WireImage
Check out PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music’s biggest night.
For Jelly Roll, who walked the carpet with Bunnie XO, the nominations are enough to feel accomplished in his career — especially since he’s also performing twice during the ceremony.
“Win, lose or draw, I won tonight. If my name doesn’t get called, I won. Most nominated male opening the show, closing the show. It’s incredible,” said the “Son of a Sinner” singer.
source: people.com
