During the 2025 Dove Awards, Jelly Roll delivered a heartfelt speech after winning Song of the Year, emphasizing that the church should actively live out the teachings of Christ.
Alongside Jelly Roll, Brandon Lake took home the award for Song of the Year with their collaboration hard fight hallelujah. Forrest Frank was named Artist of the Year, and Leanna Crawford received the Newcomer of the Year award at the ceremony held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and aired on TBN on Friday. Lake had a remarkable night with five awards, while Frank garnered three.
The winning song represented a partnership between leading artists, who, having become friends, aimed to connect with those who feel lost.
Lake praised Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley Deford, saying he possessed a compassionate heart for those in pain. “He reignited that passion in me,” Lake expressed. “We should focus on helping the lost.”
This past year, Jelly Roll has actively promoted the song on various national platforms, even appearing on shows like jimmy kimmel live. He shared that he loved the song before collaborating with Lake, who originally recorded it as a solo track. Jelly Roll frequently mentioned how it helped him reconnect with his faith, once noting, “It’s been a long time since a record has affected me like this.”
While at the Dove Awards, Jelly Roll quoted the Bible.
“I recalled Matthew when he mentioned small acts of kindness, saying, ‘When I was hungry, you fed me; when I was thirsty, you gave me water; when I was in prison, you visited me,'” he recounted.
He expressed gratitude for the chance to share the message of Jesus, calling attention to a nationwide movement many see as a revival. “It’s been decades since something like this has taken root,” he stated, met with enthusiastic applause.
He encouraged the audience to embody love in their actions, saying, “You can’t go to a street corner now without hearing about Jesus. While that’s happening, I urge you to put your faith into action. Get out of these walls and do something tangible. They need to see Jesus through our actions.”
Jelly Roll seemed genuinely touched by the event and grew emotional during his speech.
Other notable winners included Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, and Lake with I know the name (worship song of the year); Phil Wickham’s the way of jesus (Inspirational song of the year); Tamela Mann’s live breath fight (Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year); CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar’s please come jesus please come (Gospel worship song of the year); king of kings (feature film of the year); the chosen one (TV series of the year); Nerons’ i love you (Southern Gospel Album of the Year); and Halvey’s cry (Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year).
