August 17, 2023 • 17 mins
It feels like Jely roll took over country music over night but there is more to that story. We catch up with him to talk tour, sold out shows, his MASSIVE #1 debut album & when we could possisby hear a colab w his friend, Morgan Wallen!
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(00:01):
Oh really, Yeah, get youget pulled out a little bit of back
and get it wet and stick iton there and just let it see it's
still in there. Am I thatcountry? Wayne? That you didn't?
Hey, listen, are you recording? This is important? Yeah? Start
that video because this is this isimportant to me that we talk about this,
the fact that you're a country radiopersonality and I get told every day
(00:23):
that I'm not country, And youdidn't know that you could put wet to
back on a bee sting, andthat was like a no brainer for me.
You were confused. I was like, does anybody at your house smoke?
He was like, why you wantto come to smoke them? Mount?
I was like, I'm not tryingto get the bees high? What
good morning? Ever? I meangood after, good evening everybody. Wayne
d was stung by bees this morningand didn't know what to do about it.
He thought I was gonna come over. What do you think I was
(00:43):
gonna smoke a joint just all getrid of your bee problem? Is that
I don't know what I was gonnado is take some wet back and throw
it on the beast thing for youto go instantly, Well, let me
know if you're not busy later.Yeah, I got you. This is
a trick. If you put toback on, it would have quit hurting
three hours. The last time yougot stung by a bee, God,
it's been a long time. That'sI was like, it's wow, it's
(01:03):
a different feeling. You know.What's messed up about that is it's gonna
restrike that fear because you're at aplace in life where you probably thought you
because right now I'm like, beesdon't sting people? You're fine? Yeah,
right now, I'm like, beesdon't really sting people. I bet
you wish it was a wasp nowbecause I ain't that the one that dies
when it stings. It was outa myth. Anyways, one of them
looses at stinger, It just leavesit in you. Yeah, so what
(01:26):
But so these are like the littleworker bees? Those do they sting and
keep living? You know? Oris that the wasp? I don't know
what I'm now, I'm confused.I know, Well, we don't have
you forever. Otherwise I'd google beimages and we would keep going. Okay,
you don't like our bee talk rumoras jellyroll is also a massive celebrity
music artists all over the place,Dode, I got to tell you and
(01:49):
beekeeper, beekeeper, if would youever keep bees? You know, I
don't know, man, I'm scaredof bees now. I forgot that it's
stink people. I'm gonna look atthem different the rest of the week.
Now talk. I didn't know adultsget stung by bees and twice it's fine,
Well you were fighting a wop,I mean a group of them.
It south. Listen. I'm tellingyou, if one day I saw on
TikTok or Instagram that Bunny got intobeekeeping, that wouldn't surprise me. Yeah,
(02:15):
Bunny, listen right now. Bunnywants a crow. The bunny is
obsessed with getting I know, y'alltry I'm fighting this day. This is
a thing, and it's like becomingobsession of hers. She has found out
that you can be like the crowwhisper and they'll bring you gifts and stuff.
And I was like, I don'twant a crow dropping dead rats on
our porch just so you have anextra friend around the house. I was
(02:36):
like, this is crazy. She'slike they're great omens. I was like,
I thought they were bad omens.But she also grew up in the
in the West Coast where there's like, you know, it's crow city out
there, dude, you know whatI mean. It's a lot of crows.
And down here I see a crowand I get nervous. And she's
like, I want to we canget like we can get a murder of
them or whatever they call, abig group of them. She's like,
she has like a whole plan forus to get a group of crows that
(02:57):
she wants to. She's like,you could teach them to talk. There's
a whole thing like crow talk.You know, there's like dog talk,
like on TikTok, there's crow talk. And if you want to get lost
on something that weird, you outgo watch these weird crow people. You're
like, I love you, butwatch that in the other room. This
is happening every night. I getsent a new crow. Last night she
text me at two two thirty inthe morning and said, I'm gonna name
our crow. I don't know,Willie or something, some you know,
(03:21):
some kind of bunny name. AndI was like, what crow. She's
like, the one I'm manifesting.It's like bunny. I don't want to
crow. Do you buy a crowlike a petch. We got to catch
a crow. I guess I don'tknow. I guess you Laurel men and
you gotta get you like you gaintheir trust. It'd be like leaving a
little steak out for a lie everynight or a bear until it finally came
was like, are you the persongiving me the steaks? You know?
(03:43):
And then they get it too.Yeah, yeah, for sure, That's
what Bunny's on right now. Listen. I gotta tell you, it's been
so fun to watch your rise fromlike all this guy's got a good song
to like literally I saw you werejust that North Dakota State Fair wasn't yes,
and like director I was in millionpeople were there like those we broke
the This is the wildest thing forme to say right now. We did
both North Dakota fairs. We didthe Red River Valley Fair and we did
(04:06):
the North DaCosta State fairlyre on opcomplete opposite sides of the state of North
Dakota. Yeah, we broke therecord of attendance at both fairs of the
history of the fair. Just apunk kid from Antioch, dude, Yeah,
just like absolute troublemaker kind of youknow what I mean, Like still
I mean, I'm a I'm achange man, but I'm far from redeemed,
you know. So it's just unbelievable. Every every second of this to
(04:30):
me is unreal. Every days anyof it set in yet, though not
yet, it's starting to get there. My manager finally sat down with me
and was like, hey, man, this imposture thing you're feeling, you
gotta let go of it. Waslike, yeah, yeah, it's so
hard. It's still and sometimes Itell him, I don't know if it's
as much an imposture thing for meas it is just deep rudy gratitude of
Like it's overwhelmingly emotional to stand ona stage in front of that many people.
(04:55):
There's just something about that that's different, you know what I mean.
So I don't think I'll ever getused to it, and Garth said I
wouldn't. I talked to Garth Brooksabout it because I think, you know,
he's still we were talking about Iwas talking to somebody else about him.
I was like, I feel likeyou watch him fight tears singing the
dance, and he's been singing itfor thirty years, you know what I
mean? And I was like,I think that's how I feel about saving
(05:17):
me the rest of my career.I'm gonna fight back tears every time I
sing that song. It's such bythe way you just put those two songs
in the same breath. But yeah, they're not even by the way,
they're not even comparable, but thankyou, but they deserve you know what
I mean. Like in that song, let me tell you something, as
much as you're gonna imposter yourself andstep back a little bit, that song
is a bigger deal to some peoplethan the dance, you know what I
(05:38):
mean. Everybody has the dance tothem and now that could be that.
Yeah, I see, the danceis the dance to me. You know
what I'm saying. I've cried tothe dance as many times as Garth dads.
You know what I'm saying. Iwant to talk more music and your
rise, but part of that isBunny has had her own rise in this
whole thing, which your wife is, you know what I mean, like
because she's by your side, butalso she's like her own little fandom happening
(06:00):
as well as much as she's alongfor the ride, but she's supportive,
right, Like she's not like latchingon and like, hey, I'm here
too. Has there ever been talkof like her doing something with you?
Oh yeah, no, you knowshe's doing a Meet and Gred on my
tour. I know, yeah,entire meet Greed on my tour. She
she got her own march. She'son the tour. She's her own thing.
(06:21):
She always has been. I've beenbringing Bunny on stage at my shows
seven years when it was two hundredpeople in the crowd. Like, even
then, when there was only twohundred people there, there was still a
percentage enough of that crowd enough thatcared about Bunny that it meant something to
see her. And she's always hadthat connection. I think people see the
(06:43):
I think what Bunny is is alittle bit of this really cool factor that
she doesn't. She's not who shelooks like. Like if you judged Bunny
on an Instagram of just pictures,you would never believe how charismatic and funny
and arming and caring and loving sheis. Right, It's like this intimidating,
(07:04):
just bombshell beautiful sculpture of a blondeand then she sits down and she
is the goofiest human I know onEarth. I have never met nobody cellier
than that. Woman right there.She's blind, she can't see, you
know what I'm saying. She hitswalls, she's directionally challenged, you know
what I mean? Yeah, forsure, it's goodness gracious. She curbs
(07:26):
every rim she's ever had. Butshe is just something is so special about
her spirit that it shines through andyou don't expect it, you know,
because she's got this. Like I'mstill intimidated by Bunny. Like when she
really does the Bunny like she comesout like them red carpets. I'm like,
I get, I'm like, whoa, you know what I mean.
Like she's like that captivating, buther personality is the polar opposite, you
(07:46):
know what I mean. Would youguys ever record together? Yeah, we
talked about all the time. Bunnycan sing man. Bunny can really sing
man. She used to sing wayback in the day. I just think
that she just doesn't have the Idon't want to say the love for it.
But it's not her thing, youknow what I mean. Like she's
willing to do it, and she'ddo it with me, and she does
a Christmas song every year for fun. Yeah, But I think Bunny is
just more focused on connecting with peoplethe way she knows how listen. And
(08:09):
we always joke there's not room fortwo singers in this house. It's the
reason I haven't started a podcast neither. You know what I'm saying so well,
speaking of, I'm just saying I'mgonna I'm gonna put this idea out
there. And if you've done already, I missed it. But imagine how
cool it would be. Laney can'tmake it. Bunny fills in on stage.
You think that song might make youcry already? Oh goodness, boy,
Bunny came out singing it to me, I probably really cry. I
(08:31):
kick her like, you better notfeel that way about me. You take
me back to when we first metyou. The entourage was smaller. It
was you, me, maybe onerecord label person. Your career is growing,
your team is growing. At whatpoint have you been able to stand
back and be like, Holy,Kyle, hasn't been moving too quick for
(08:54):
you to get to do No?I get every time I do stick.
But I mean, even in themoment you just look around and realize it
for what it is. You know, you just have those moments of clarity.
That's just I don't even know howto describe it. Why And it's
weird still. I say that wordas like endearingly as I can, but
it's extremely weird when it comes tothe success you're having on the streaming and
(09:16):
the ticket sales is one thing,but for that to marry itself to the
success you're having on country radio.Obviously you're doing great things on rock radio
as well, but we'll talk country. Is any of that Like, did
you ever feel like, oh,we'll put the song out, but it
ain't gonna work there. No.The rock success is cool, but it
ain't gonna work there. No,it's I never thought, I don't.
(09:37):
I just believe that it's real musicfor real people with real problems. And
I knew that. To me,I made a decision early in my career
that I chose connection over entertainment.Right. I'm just looking to connect with
people, man, I'm looking tobuild people up. I'm looking to lift
people up, and I think thatcomes through in the music. And I'm
also willing to talk about the thingsthat people aren't willing to talk about.
(10:00):
One of the things I take themost pride and in this album is that
there's a line in this album thatsays I didn't seen pain pills turned to
needles. That was said on thenumber two Billboard Biggest Country Album Debut,
You know what I mean, Likethat was said on like I think we
broke like a streaming record for ayou know, like a debut country album
or something like I'm talking about fittingall. I mean, this is real
(10:20):
stuff that's really happening in our community. Meaning country music listeners too. They
know how much this is running rampantthrough these small towns. You know.
I just think the music connects ina real way. Well, that's something
that that brings me back to thelast time we caught up and you brought
you brought up the the success ofthe song about the effect of drug use
(10:41):
and whatever. I think I sentyou the video or whatever and you posted
it. But so from that totelling stories to getting out and performing them.
You're also an artist who some peoplejust go to a show. Oh,
we go to a show, butlike there's something different for you and
I Bunny posted recently about it too, Like you're special, Like you're connecting,
You're giving people a voice that thatmaybe didn't have one before. Do
(11:03):
you feel like wake up with adifferent sense of responsibility now that you're on
a bigger stage for that. No, I wake up with more of a
responsibility of just making sure that I'mbeing an example to Like I'm more conscious
now than ever of like knowing thatchildren are watching me. I wasn't really
conscious of that before, you knowwhat I mean, Like it wasn't even
though it's probably happening, It's likeit was a second thought to me.
(11:26):
Like my set's pretty vulgar, andI'm still tone it back a little more
every day, you know what Imean, And it's always gonna be a
little vulgar because this is a thisis you know, country, hip hop
and rock and roll. But tome, I'm more conscious of, like
just want to make sure that I'mdoing the right thing about these kids that
are watching you. Go from fromdoing the hip hop is really what like
(11:46):
gave you the confidence to perform inthe first place, right, Yeah,
going from that to where you aretoday. You talked about kids. I
mean, I saw he was probablyon your Instagram kids holding up. You
know, I'm a son of asinner, But you're getting You're getting.
You're getting anything from a five yearold kid holding a sign supporting one of
your songs to a forty fifty yearold guy buying t shirts at merch knowing
(12:09):
that you literally are affecting that completelydifferent generations right right now. It's crazy,
man, I think I look atit like this. We didn't get
the opportunity to do that as kidsbecause of the way touring worked, but
we felt the same. Like,I think people forget how much music is
a part of a household, right, Like when I was a kid,
we all listen to the same music, Like this was a thing. Like
we would get around to listen tomusic together, Like we would sit on
(12:33):
the back porch or sit around afire, or go to bonfires, and
you know what I mean, Like, we would listen to music as a
family. And I think it's coolthat I that that still happens. And
I think you see that at theshow. That's why the fan base rages
so far, is that families arestill sitting there hanging out and talking to
each other and listening to music.And it's it's still a communal thing.
Man, Does celebrating a number oneblow your mind? Yet? Every time?
(12:58):
Dude, I just had two weeksof rock number one, second number
one at rock, both of themare two week number one. Here we
come on the edge of having anumber one on country radio right now while
we're talking. But the biggest songof my career by a country Now,
let me tell you how it worksas an artist. If these other artists
are afraid to tell you this,let me give you some game. You're
ready. When they come in andwe have our first number one, we
secretly leave and think it's over.That's it. I will never have another
(13:22):
song bigger than that one. Forsure. Where are we? You know,
like nobody leaves, Like I'm goingto just start running them up the
pipeline. Everybody leaves, and ifthey don't walk out of here feeling that
way, they don't deserve what theyhave. You immediately leave like this is
it. I'm not There's not gonnabe a bigger moment for me. And
then I dropped Son of a Centerand I'm like, this is crazy because
(13:45):
I had a moment I dropped Savingand went viral. I was like,
this is it. This will bethe song that I'll you know whatever.
Yeah, And then after Son ofa Center, I was kind of certain.
I was like, you know,the newness was over right. I'm
a part of the family now I'vebeen accepted by the country music community.
Now the records have to stand,you know, and Need a Favor is
(14:05):
by every benchmark, from what Ihear from my friends at radio, to
what I hear from my streaming partnersto what I see in the analytics,
is going to end up smoking everysong I've ever had by not even a
close range. It's gonna It's crazy. What need I think. Need a
Favor is still in the top fifteenon the Billboard Hot one hundred right now.
(14:26):
It's insane how big that song is? Bigger than me and I'm huge
as far as like as a human, Like that song is bigger than me
as my person. You know whatI'm saying. That song is like it's
for the first time in my career, I have a song where people don't
know me, and somebody will go, that's the dude that sings the need
a Favorite song. I talked toGod when I need a favor and guys
are like, oh, you're thatguy. Let's take a picture. You
know, It's like, no clue. It's cool. It's funny because I'll
(14:48):
say I'm that guy too, justto see if I can get a free
drink. So it never works.Where's the face tut. The last thing
I want to ask you is thecollab with Landey is obviously doing phenomenal collabs
have become so massive in country.You've gotten really close with with Ernest.
I loved Ernest even told a storyat one of your number one parties,
(15:09):
one of the many, but Ernesttold a story about like he used to
look up to you, like heused to watch you do your thing.
Be like man, Jelly, that'slike someday that's gonna be the guy.
Uh. Knowing what Ernest and Hardyand Morgan have done, and you guys
are all like kind of in thatsame camp together. The way you've come
up is there is there anything coming? Are you guys working on stuff together,
(15:33):
whether it's whether it be Hardy,Ernest Morgan. Oh yeah, no,
we all talk. And of courseme and Ernest are gonna you know,
that's one of my best friends inlife and music. I talked to
Hardy all the time. I thinkI think we're talking. I don't know
I'm allowed to say it, butI think we're talking about doing something for
one of the next Higgs tapes.Sure, Hardy Wooden Man, that's my
boy. Sorry, Hardy, Ilove you. But yeah, we're talking
about doing something for one of theHiggs tapes. And of course you know,
Hardy wrote on my record with me. Yeah, I'm hoping to do
(15:56):
a collab with him. I wantto tour with him, of course I
want to. I think me,me and Hardy lay in gel Roal tour
would be just a circus. Ithink it'd be why I'd be pandamoni him.
These are my boys too, man. More than anything, I just
value our friendship. I think we'llall work together because we're so quite close.
You know, Morgan is the biggestartist on planet Earth, arguably the
biggest artist on not America, Imean on Earth. And this dude is
(16:18):
such a sweet dude that he'll justcheck in on me. Man, you
know what I mean, to showyou the character of that dude. Like
I'm doing eighteen maybe ten percent sevenpercent of the streams he's doing today and
I can't find time to check onmyself, you know what I mean.
And this dude is like, that'show good of a dude. So like
anytime that dude texts me, Ifeel like I'm getting a text from you
know, Donald Trump or something likeit's like big, I'm like, whoa,
(16:41):
this dude's got time to text meand that's just who he is though,
you know what I mean. Soit's been really cool. But I
say this, I'll give you thisteaser. Outside of my friend group,
other friends I have that are likein the country music space that are good,
good friends of mine. I won'tsay their names because we do got
a lot coming out. I gotsome real collapse coming I'm not here collabing
like a hip hop artist. Igot. I brought all my homies together.
(17:03):
It's cool. It's fun, dude, it's great. It's We're in
the coolest moment of country music,I think in a long time right now,
not even just because of me,because of guys like Morgan and Luke
Combs and the success of Fast Cardand Last Night and guys like Tyler Childers
who will just sell out thirty thousandseats anywhere in America at any time.
I think country music has never beenbroader, never been more accepted nationally,
(17:26):
and never been cooler than it isright now, except for like maybe the
seventies and the nineties, which hadlike really memorably cool moments. Dude,
Jelly can't wait to see what's thenext brother Ye Love you Bubba.
Oh really, Yeah, get youget pulled out a little bit of back
and get it wet and stick iton there and just let it see it's
still in there. Am I thatcountry? Wayne? That you didn't?
Hey, listen, are you recording? This is important? Yeah? Start
that video because this is this isimportant to me that we talk about this,
the fact that you're a country radiopersonality and I get told every day
(00:23):
that I'm not country, And youdidn't know that you could put wet to
back on a bee sting, andthat was like a no brainer for me.
You were confused. I was like, does anybody at your house smoke?
He was like, why you wantto come to smoke them? Mount?
I was like, I'm not tryingto get the bees high? What
good morning? Ever? I meangood after, good evening everybody. Wayne
d was stung by bees this morningand didn't know what to do about it.
He thought I was gonna come over. What do you think I was
(00:43):
gonna smoke a joint just all getrid of your bee problem? Is that
I don't know what I was gonnado is take some wet back and throw
it on the beast thing for youto go instantly, Well, let me
know if you're not busy later.Yeah, I got you. This is
a trick. If you put toback on, it would have quit hurting
three hours. The last time yougot stung by a bee, God,
it's been a long time. That'sI was like, it's wow, it's
(01:03):
a different feeling. You know.What's messed up about that is it's gonna
restrike that fear because you're at aplace in life where you probably thought you
because right now I'm like, beesdon't sting people? You're fine? Yeah,
right now, I'm like, beesdon't really sting people. I bet
you wish it was a wasp nowbecause I ain't that the one that dies
when it stings. It was outa myth. Anyways, one of them
looses at stinger, It just leavesit in you. Yeah, so what
(01:26):
But so these are like the littleworker bees? Those do they sting and
keep living? You know? Oris that the wasp? I don't know
what I'm now, I'm confused.I know, Well, we don't have
you forever. Otherwise I'd google beimages and we would keep going. Okay,
you don't like our bee talk rumoras jellyroll is also a massive celebrity
music artists all over the place,Dode, I got to tell you and
(01:49):
beekeeper, beekeeper, if would youever keep bees? You know, I
don't know, man, I'm scaredof bees now. I forgot that it's
stink people. I'm gonna look atthem different the rest of the week.
Now talk. I didn't know adultsget stung by bees and twice it's fine,
Well you were fighting a wop,I mean a group of them.
It south. Listen. I'm tellingyou, if one day I saw on
TikTok or Instagram that Bunny got intobeekeeping, that wouldn't surprise me. Yeah,
(02:15):
Bunny, listen right now. Bunnywants a crow. The bunny is
obsessed with getting I know, y'alltry I'm fighting this day. This is
a thing, and it's like becomingobsession of hers. She has found out
that you can be like the crowwhisper and they'll bring you gifts and stuff.
And I was like, I don'twant a crow dropping dead rats on
our porch just so you have anextra friend around the house. I was
(02:36):
like, this is crazy. She'slike they're great omens. I was like,
I thought they were bad omens.But she also grew up in the
in the West Coast where there's like, you know, it's crow city out
there, dude, you know whatI mean. It's a lot of crows.
And down here I see a crowand I get nervous. And she's
like, I want to we canget like we can get a murder of
them or whatever they call, abig group of them. She's like,
she has like a whole plan forus to get a group of crows that
(02:57):
she wants to. She's like,you could teach them to talk. There's
a whole thing like crow talk.You know, there's like dog talk,
like on TikTok, there's crow talk. And if you want to get lost
on something that weird, you outgo watch these weird crow people. You're
like, I love you, butwatch that in the other room. This
is happening every night. I getsent a new crow. Last night she
text me at two two thirty inthe morning and said, I'm gonna name
our crow. I don't know,Willie or something, some you know,
(03:21):
some kind of bunny name. AndI was like, what crow. She's
like, the one I'm manifesting.It's like bunny. I don't want to
crow. Do you buy a crowlike a petch. We got to catch
a crow. I guess I don'tknow. I guess you Laurel men and
you gotta get you like you gaintheir trust. It'd be like leaving a
little steak out for a lie everynight or a bear until it finally came
was like, are you the persongiving me the steaks? You know?
(03:43):
And then they get it too.Yeah, yeah, for sure, That's
what Bunny's on right now. Listen. I gotta tell you, it's been
so fun to watch your rise fromlike all this guy's got a good song
to like literally I saw you werejust that North Dakota State Fair wasn't yes,
and like director I was in millionpeople were there like those we broke
the This is the wildest thing forme to say right now. We did
both North Dakota fairs. We didthe Red River Valley Fair and we did
(04:06):
the North DaCosta State fairlyre on opcomplete opposite sides of the state of North
Dakota. Yeah, we broke therecord of attendance at both fairs of the
history of the fair. Just apunk kid from Antioch, dude, Yeah,
just like absolute troublemaker kind of youknow what I mean, Like still
I mean, I'm a I'm achange man, but I'm far from redeemed,
you know. So it's just unbelievable. Every every second of this to
(04:30):
me is unreal. Every days anyof it set in yet, though not
yet, it's starting to get there. My manager finally sat down with me
and was like, hey, man, this imposture thing you're feeling, you
gotta let go of it. Waslike, yeah, yeah, it's so
hard. It's still and sometimes Itell him, I don't know if it's
as much an imposture thing for meas it is just deep rudy gratitude of
Like it's overwhelmingly emotional to stand ona stage in front of that many people.
(04:55):
There's just something about that that's different, you know what I mean.
So I don't think I'll ever getused to it, and Garth said I
wouldn't. I talked to Garth Brooksabout it because I think, you know,
he's still we were talking about Iwas talking to somebody else about him.
I was like, I feel likeyou watch him fight tears singing the
dance, and he's been singing itfor thirty years, you know what I
mean? And I was like,I think that's how I feel about saving
(05:17):
me the rest of my career.I'm gonna fight back tears every time I
sing that song. It's such bythe way you just put those two songs
in the same breath. But yeah, they're not even by the way,
they're not even comparable, but thankyou, but they deserve you know what
I mean. Like in that song, let me tell you something, as
much as you're gonna imposter yourself andstep back a little bit, that song
is a bigger deal to some peoplethan the dance, you know what I
(05:38):
mean. Everybody has the dance tothem and now that could be that.
Yeah, I see, the danceis the dance to me. You know
what I'm saying. I've cried tothe dance as many times as Garth dads.
You know what I'm saying. Iwant to talk more music and your
rise, but part of that isBunny has had her own rise in this
whole thing, which your wife is, you know what I mean, like
because she's by your side, butalso she's like her own little fandom happening
(06:00):
as well as much as she's alongfor the ride, but she's supportive,
right, Like she's not like latchingon and like, hey, I'm here
too. Has there ever been talkof like her doing something with you?
Oh yeah, no, you knowshe's doing a Meet and Gred on my
tour. I know, yeah,entire meet Greed on my tour. She
she got her own march. She'son the tour. She's her own thing.
(06:21):
She always has been. I've beenbringing Bunny on stage at my shows
seven years when it was two hundredpeople in the crowd. Like, even
then, when there was only twohundred people there, there was still a
percentage enough of that crowd enough thatcared about Bunny that it meant something to
see her. And she's always hadthat connection. I think people see the
(06:43):
I think what Bunny is is alittle bit of this really cool factor that
she doesn't. She's not who shelooks like. Like if you judged Bunny
on an Instagram of just pictures,you would never believe how charismatic and funny
and arming and caring and loving sheis. Right, It's like this intimidating,
(07:04):
just bombshell beautiful sculpture of a blondeand then she sits down and she
is the goofiest human I know onEarth. I have never met nobody cellier
than that. Woman right there.She's blind, she can't see, you
know what I'm saying. She hitswalls, she's directionally challenged, you know
what I mean? Yeah, forsure, it's goodness gracious. She curbs
(07:26):
every rim she's ever had. Butshe is just something is so special about
her spirit that it shines through andyou don't expect it, you know,
because she's got this. Like I'mstill intimidated by Bunny. Like when she
really does the Bunny like she comesout like them red carpets. I'm like,
I get, I'm like, whoa, you know what I mean.
Like she's like that captivating, buther personality is the polar opposite, you
(07:46):
know what I mean. Would youguys ever record together? Yeah, we
talked about all the time. Bunnycan sing man. Bunny can really sing
man. She used to sing wayback in the day. I just think
that she just doesn't have the Idon't want to say the love for it.
But it's not her thing, youknow what I mean. Like she's
willing to do it, and she'ddo it with me, and she does
a Christmas song every year for fun. Yeah, But I think Bunny is
just more focused on connecting with peoplethe way she knows how listen. And
(08:09):
we always joke there's not room fortwo singers in this house. It's the
reason I haven't started a podcast neither. You know what I'm saying so well,
speaking of, I'm just saying I'mgonna I'm gonna put this idea out
there. And if you've done already, I missed it. But imagine how
cool it would be. Laney can'tmake it. Bunny fills in on stage.
You think that song might make youcry already? Oh goodness, boy,
Bunny came out singing it to me, I probably really cry. I
(08:31):
kick her like, you better notfeel that way about me. You take
me back to when we first metyou. The entourage was smaller. It
was you, me, maybe onerecord label person. Your career is growing,
your team is growing. At whatpoint have you been able to stand
back and be like, Holy,Kyle, hasn't been moving too quick for
(08:54):
you to get to do No?I get every time I do stick.
But I mean, even in themoment you just look around and realize it
for what it is. You know, you just have those moments of clarity.
That's just I don't even know howto describe it. Why And it's
weird still. I say that wordas like endearingly as I can, but
it's extremely weird when it comes tothe success you're having on the streaming and
(09:16):
the ticket sales is one thing,but for that to marry itself to the
success you're having on country radio.Obviously you're doing great things on rock radio
as well, but we'll talk country. Is any of that Like, did
you ever feel like, oh,we'll put the song out, but it
ain't gonna work there. No.The rock success is cool, but it
ain't gonna work there. No,it's I never thought, I don't.
(09:37):
I just believe that it's real musicfor real people with real problems. And
I knew that. To me,I made a decision early in my career
that I chose connection over entertainment.Right. I'm just looking to connect with
people, man, I'm looking tobuild people up. I'm looking to lift
people up, and I think thatcomes through in the music. And I'm
also willing to talk about the thingsthat people aren't willing to talk about.
(10:00):
One of the things I take themost pride and in this album is that
there's a line in this album thatsays I didn't seen pain pills turned to
needles. That was said on thenumber two Billboard Biggest Country Album Debut,
You know what I mean, Likethat was said on like I think we
broke like a streaming record for ayou know, like a debut country album
or something like I'm talking about fittingall. I mean, this is real
(10:20):
stuff that's really happening in our community. Meaning country music listeners too. They
know how much this is running rampantthrough these small towns. You know.
I just think the music connects ina real way. Well, that's something
that that brings me back to thelast time we caught up and you brought
you brought up the the success ofthe song about the effect of drug use
(10:41):
and whatever. I think I sentyou the video or whatever and you posted
it. But so from that totelling stories to getting out and performing them.
You're also an artist who some peoplejust go to a show. Oh,
we go to a show, butlike there's something different for you and
I Bunny posted recently about it too, Like you're special, Like you're connecting,
You're giving people a voice that thatmaybe didn't have one before. Do
(11:03):
you feel like wake up with adifferent sense of responsibility now that you're on
a bigger stage for that. No, I wake up with more of a
responsibility of just making sure that I'mbeing an example to Like I'm more conscious
now than ever of like knowing thatchildren are watching me. I wasn't really
conscious of that before, you knowwhat I mean, Like it wasn't even
though it's probably happening, It's likeit was a second thought to me.
(11:26):
Like my set's pretty vulgar, andI'm still tone it back a little more
every day, you know what Imean, And it's always gonna be a
little vulgar because this is a thisis you know, country, hip hop
and rock and roll. But tome, I'm more conscious of, like
just want to make sure that I'mdoing the right thing about these kids that
are watching you. Go from fromdoing the hip hop is really what like
(11:46):
gave you the confidence to perform inthe first place, right, Yeah,
going from that to where you aretoday. You talked about kids. I
mean, I saw he was probablyon your Instagram kids holding up. You
know, I'm a son of asinner, But you're getting You're getting.
You're getting anything from a five yearold kid holding a sign supporting one of
your songs to a forty fifty yearold guy buying t shirts at merch knowing
(12:09):
that you literally are affecting that completelydifferent generations right right now. It's crazy,
man, I think I look atit like this. We didn't get
the opportunity to do that as kidsbecause of the way touring worked, but
we felt the same. Like,I think people forget how much music is
a part of a household, right, Like when I was a kid,
we all listen to the same music, Like this was a thing. Like
we would get around to listen tomusic together, Like we would sit on
(12:33):
the back porch or sit around afire, or go to bonfires, and
you know what I mean, Like, we would listen to music as a
family. And I think it's coolthat I that that still happens. And
I think you see that at theshow. That's why the fan base rages
so far, is that families arestill sitting there hanging out and talking to
each other and listening to music.And it's it's still a communal thing.
Man, Does celebrating a number oneblow your mind? Yet? Every time?
(12:58):
Dude, I just had two weeksof rock number one, second number
one at rock, both of themare two week number one. Here we
come on the edge of having anumber one on country radio right now while
we're talking. But the biggest songof my career by a country Now,
let me tell you how it worksas an artist. If these other artists
are afraid to tell you this,let me give you some game. You're
ready. When they come in andwe have our first number one, we
secretly leave and think it's over.That's it. I will never have another
(13:22):
song bigger than that one. Forsure. Where are we? You know,
like nobody leaves, Like I'm goingto just start running them up the
pipeline. Everybody leaves, and ifthey don't walk out of here feeling that
way, they don't deserve what theyhave. You immediately leave like this is
it. I'm not There's not gonnabe a bigger moment for me. And
then I dropped Son of a Centerand I'm like, this is crazy because
(13:45):
I had a moment I dropped Savingand went viral. I was like,
this is it. This will bethe song that I'll you know whatever.
Yeah, And then after Son ofa Center, I was kind of certain.
I was like, you know,the newness was over right. I'm
a part of the family now I'vebeen accepted by the country music community.
Now the records have to stand,you know, and Need a Favor is
(14:05):
by every benchmark, from what Ihear from my friends at radio, to
what I hear from my streaming partnersto what I see in the analytics,
is going to end up smoking everysong I've ever had by not even a
close range. It's gonna It's crazy. What need I think. Need a
Favor is still in the top fifteenon the Billboard Hot one hundred right now.
(14:26):
It's insane how big that song is? Bigger than me and I'm huge
as far as like as a human, Like that song is bigger than me
as my person. You know whatI'm saying. That song is like it's
for the first time in my career, I have a song where people don't
know me, and somebody will go, that's the dude that sings the need
a Favorite song. I talked toGod when I need a favor and guys
are like, oh, you're thatguy. Let's take a picture. You
know, It's like, no clue. It's cool. It's funny because I'll
(14:48):
say I'm that guy too, justto see if I can get a free
drink. So it never works.Where's the face tut. The last thing
I want to ask you is thecollab with Landey is obviously doing phenomenal collabs
have become so massive in country.You've gotten really close with with Ernest.
I loved Ernest even told a storyat one of your number one parties,
(15:09):
one of the many, but Ernesttold a story about like he used to
look up to you, like heused to watch you do your thing.
Be like man, Jelly, that'slike someday that's gonna be the guy.
Uh. Knowing what Ernest and Hardyand Morgan have done, and you guys
are all like kind of in thatsame camp together. The way you've come
up is there is there anything coming? Are you guys working on stuff together,
(15:33):
whether it's whether it be Hardy,Ernest Morgan. Oh yeah, no,
we all talk. And of courseme and Ernest are gonna you know,
that's one of my best friends inlife and music. I talked to
Hardy all the time. I thinkI think we're talking. I don't know
I'm allowed to say it, butI think we're talking about doing something for
one of the next Higgs tapes.Sure, Hardy Wooden Man, that's my
boy. Sorry, Hardy, Ilove you. But yeah, we're talking
about doing something for one of theHiggs tapes. And of course you know,
Hardy wrote on my record with me. Yeah, I'm hoping to do
(15:56):
a collab with him. I wantto tour with him, of course I
want to. I think me,me and Hardy lay in gel Roal tour
would be just a circus. Ithink it'd be why I'd be pandamoni him.
These are my boys too, man. More than anything, I just
value our friendship. I think we'llall work together because we're so quite close.
You know, Morgan is the biggestartist on planet Earth, arguably the
biggest artist on not America, Imean on Earth. And this dude is
(16:18):
such a sweet dude that he'll justcheck in on me. Man, you
know what I mean, to showyou the character of that dude. Like
I'm doing eighteen maybe ten percent sevenpercent of the streams he's doing today and
I can't find time to check onmyself, you know what I mean.
And this dude is like, that'show good of a dude. So like
anytime that dude texts me, Ifeel like I'm getting a text from you
know, Donald Trump or something likeit's like big, I'm like, whoa,
(16:41):
this dude's got time to text meand that's just who he is though,
you know what I mean. Soit's been really cool. But I
say this, I'll give you thisteaser. Outside of my friend group,
other friends I have that are likein the country music space that are good,
good friends of mine. I won'tsay their names because we do got
a lot coming out. I gotsome real collapse coming I'm not here collabing
like a hip hop artist. Igot. I brought all my homies together.
(17:03):
It's cool. It's fun, dude, it's great. It's We're in
the coolest moment of country music,I think in a long time right now,
not even just because of me,because of guys like Morgan and Luke
Combs and the success of Fast Cardand Last Night and guys like Tyler Childers
who will just sell out thirty thousandseats anywhere in America at any time.
I think country music has never beenbroader, never been more accepted nationally,
(17:26):
and never been cooler than it isright now, except for like maybe the
seventies and the nineties, which hadlike really memorably cool moments. Dude,
Jelly can't wait to see what's thenext brother Ye Love you Bubba.
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