You'll likely know Jason DeFord as Jelly Roll — the mastermind behind country hits like 'Need A Favour' and 'Son Of A Sinner'.

The 40-year-old is selling out arenas, is a Grammy-nominated artist and was even crowned one of Billboard's greatest pop stars of 2024.

But this remarkable success doesn't even begin to tell his full story.

More than 21 million people turn to his music each month on Spotify, finding parts of themselves in his songs about faith, guilt, addiction and redemption.

The themes mirror his own journey.

At just 14 years old, he was incarcerated for the first time. He spent the next decade cycling in and out of the system — selling mixtapes out of his car and trying to forgive himself for a life he thought he couldn't escape.

Then, he turned it all around.

Mamamia

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