After years of grinding, a world tour is the payoff for most artists. For Jelly Roll, it became one of the heaviest periods of his life. What should’ve been a victory lap ended up exposing the toll that fame can take—a star standing on massive stages while, behind the scenes, exhaustion, illness, and homesickness quietly hollowed him out.
Jelly Roll later opened up about how being far from Tennessee and away from the people who usually keep him grounded left him falling apart in ways he never expected. The way he talks about it reflects the tension that runs through so much of his music. He is always caught between the person he used to be and the person he is trying to become.
Jelly Roll battles severe isolation and illness during grueling foreign tour
His vulnerability overseas adds a powerful layer to his performance of his song, “I Am Not Ok,.” He didn’t just sing the song; he poured his pain from that difficult stretch into it. Fans commented, saying his song offered hope and helped them through dark moments. Some of them even said, “You are loved, you matter, you deserve to heal,” one person wrote. For many people, Jelly Roll wasn’t performing—he was connecting in a way that was life-saving.
Given the isolation he faced on tour, those reactions highlight why his music lands so deeply. And the chorus, “I’m not okay, but it’s all gonna be alright,”carries the same fragile hope he was trying to hold onto. In that moment on The Voice, he turned private pain into something openly shared, something healing.
Jelly Roll Performs “I Am Not Ok” | The Voice Finale | NBC
While touring Australia and New Zealand, this contrast becomes even more heartbreaking when you remember how worn down he was. His stomach issues forced him to cancel his final show in Auckland, leaving him physically sick and emotionally shaken. Yet the resilience in “I Am Not Ok” reflects that real-life grit—the same quiet endurance that carried him through sleepless nights far from home.
And then, just when he was already worn down, he faced an unsettling encounter in a Louis Vuitton store in Sydney. He said he felt profiled and treated like a criminal, and the moment stirred up old wounds.
If you want to follow his journey and support the voice behind these stories, make sure to follow his Instagram and Facebook profile and stay connected. His struggle is a reminder that even those who inspire us fight battles we may never see.