Country star Jelly Roll seeks pardon from criminal past
US country music star Jelly Roll is seeking a pardon to wipe his criminal convictions from the record, after spending time behind bars as a teenager.
He told the Tennessee Board of Parole that while in detention, he fell in love with songwriting which he says changed his life in ways he “never dreamed imaginable”.
Now aged 40, the rapper-turned-country singer, real name Jason DeFord, wants to be able to travel internationally to perform, but his criminal past currently makes that difficult.
“I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be – to let them know that change is truly possible,” Jelly Roll told the board, which has recommended a pardon. The final decision rests with the state’s Republican Governor Bill Lee.
The singer broke into country music with the 2023 album “Whitsitt Chapel” and crossover songs like “Need a Favor”. He has been recognised at both the CMT Music Awards and Country Music Association (CMA) Awards and earned four Grammy nominations, including for new artist of the year.
Jelly Roll performing in Vancouver during the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in February. Pic: Reuters
As a part of the pardon application, friends and local leaders wrote to the board about Jelly Roll’s transformation and generosity.
Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall described how the star had an awakening in one of the jails he managed, while Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino pointed out his charity work.
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Jelly Roll has spoken openly about his criminal record and what it has taken to overcome it. He often visits jails before performing concerts and helps feed people who are homeless.
Due to his criminal record, which includes a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23, he says it “takes a team of lawyers and a mountain of paperwork” to perform internationally, sometimes requiring special permits.
Last year, he gave evidence before a Senate committee about his own drug addiction and called for stronger legislation against the fentanyl crisis, saying he has “attended more funerals than I care to share”.
He was recently able to make his first international tour, taking in Canada and the UK, where he spoke about a rehabilitation programme.
Governor Lee said every case seeking clemency, such as pardons, is equally important and goes through a thorough process.
“The reporting on Jelly Roll, that’s encouraging for his situation, but there are steps yet to happen in that case,” he told reporters.
A-ha frontman Morten Harket has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The 65-year-old has been lead singer of the Norwegian band since it was founded in 1982 – and sung the track “Take On Me” which remains one of the most popular songs of the 1980s.
In a statement on the band’s website, and confirmed by record label Sony Music, Harket said he had undergone
several rounds of brain surgery and that he was managing the symptoms of the disease.
Parkinson’s causes deterioration in the brain’s nervous system, leading to tremors and other symptoms that can become
progressively worse over time.
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The disease can be treated with surgery and medication, but there is no cure.
Harket said he underwent neurological procedures to have electrodes implanted inside his brain last year and that this had reduced the symptoms.
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Known for the wide range of his voice, Harket said he did not know if he would be able to perform again.
“I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis,” he said, adding that it was difficult to balance medication and managing
side effects of the treatment.
“I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline,” Harket said.
Formed in 1982 by Harket and his friends Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, A-ha saw a global breakthrough in 1985 with their debut album “Hunting High and Low” featuring “Take On Me” and the hit “The Sun Always Shines on TV”.
Singer Jessie J has been diagnosed with “early breast cancer”.
The Price Tag singer, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, said in a video posted to Instagram that she has recently spent a lot of time “in and out of tests”.
She said she will “disappear for a bit” after performing at Capital Radio’s Summertime Ball later this month to have surgery.
“I was diagnosed with early breast cancer,” the 37-year-old said during the video.
“Cancer sucks in any form, but I’m holding on to the word ‘early’.
“It’s a very dramatic way to get a boob job. I am going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery, and I will come back with massive tits and more music.”
Jessie J at the BAFTA awards earlier this year. Pic: PA
‘I need a hug’
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the UK.
The singer said sharing her diagnosis publicly has helped her process the news and show solidarity with others going through a similar experience.
“I just wanted to be open and share it,” she said.
“One, because, selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. I’m not processing it because I’m working so hard.
“I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I’m an open book.
“It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that’s the bit that kills me.”
She continued: “The timing of it has been mad but also beautiful and given me this incredible perspective in this time.
“But honestly I need to process it and talk about it and, I need a hug. You have loved me through all my good and hard times. And I don’t want this to be any different.”
‘I’m here for you’
Messages of support from celebrities flooded the comments section under the singer’s post.
Former Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock wrote: “Sending you so much love.”
Fellow singer Rita Ora said: “You’re literally my favourite person and I’m praying for you, you’ve got this. My mother had it and I know the surgery and any treatment on this matter is mentally tough, so I’m here for you.”
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London-born singer Jessie J welcomed her son, Sky Safir Cornish Colman, in 2023, having miscarried in November 2021.
She has battled with ill health throughout her life, having been diagnosed with a heart condition aged eight, suffering a minor stroke aged 18 and having briefly gone deaf in 2020.
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