Jelly Roll is 41 years old as of August, 2026. The singer, songwriter and rapper was born on December 4, 1984, which means he will turn 42 on December 4, 2026. His birth date is listed on his Apple Music artist profile, and reporting on his December 4, 2025 birthday documented him marking the occasion as his 41st.
Born Jason DeFord and raised in the Antioch area of Nashville, Tennessee, Jelly Roll did not arrive in country music as a young newcomer. He had already spent years releasing music, largely in Southern rap, before his singing and country career accelerated in his late 30s. That longer path makes his age particularly relevant: he was 38 when “Son of a Sinner” became his first No. 1 at country radio and when he later won CMA New Artist of the Year in 2023.
By 41, his résumé included a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, three Grammy wins and membership in the Grand Ole Opry.
Need to know
- Jelly Roll is 41 years old as of August 25, 2026.
- His date of birth is December 4, 1984.
- His name is Jason DeFord, and he is from Antioch, Tennessee, in the Nashville area.
- He had been releasing music for years before his major country breakthrough in 2023.
- By 2026, he was a three-time Grammy winner and a Grand Ole Opry member.
Jelly Roll profile summary
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Stage name | Jelly Roll |
| Name | Jason DeFord |
| Date of birth | December 4, 1984 |
| Age | 41 as of August 25, 2026 |
| From | Antioch/Nashville, Tennessee |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter and rapper |
| Major current distinctions | Three Grammy wins; Grand Ole Opry member |
Who is Jelly Roll?
Jelly Roll is the stage name of Jason DeFord. In testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee in January 2024, he identified himself as Jason DeFord, known professionally as Jelly Roll, and described himself as a recording artist and performer from Antioch, Tennessee.
His career stretches much further back than his recent country success. Apple Music describes him as releasing music under the Jelly Roll name since the mid-2000s, with his earlier work rooted largely in Southern rap. That history is important because the “new artist” label attached to his country breakthrough can otherwise give a misleading impression that his career began in the 2020s.
Instead, his rise in country music represented a change in direction after years of recording and performing.
How his sound changed in his 30s
Jelly Roll has said that he did not fully recognize his ability as a singer until his mid-30s. In a 2023 interview with Grammy.com, he recalled singing Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” at karaoke and receiving encouragement from a producer.
That period helped move his music beyond the rap style with which he had long been associated. He identified the 2020 song “Save Me” as an important bridge into country music, and his label likewise described the track as a significant shift toward singing.
The transition became more visible with Ballads of the Broken, released in September 2021. It included material that brought together elements of country, rock and hip-hop rather than placing him neatly inside a single genre.
His age gives that transition additional context. Rather than establishing his defining vocal style as a teenager or in his early 20s, Jelly Roll was already in his mid-30s when this part of his career began taking shape.
His country breakthrough came at 38
The clearest measurable breakthrough arrived in early 2023. On January 9, his label announced that “Son of a Sinner” had become his first No. 1 at country radio. Jelly Roll was 38 at the time.
That June, he released Whitsitt Chapel, which his label presented as his debut country album. The project helped establish him as more than a crossover guest from rap: country music had become a central part of his public career.
The shift was recognized at the CMA Awards on November 8, 2023, when Jelly Roll won CMA New Artist of the Year. He was still 38, less than a month away from his 39th birthday.
The award therefore described his emergence within mainstream country music, not the beginning of his life as a recording artist. By then, he had already spent well over a decade building a catalogue and audience.
Beautifully Broken and a No. 1 album
His commercial momentum continued with Beautifully Broken. In October 2024, the album became Jelly Roll’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Billboard’s main U.S. albums chart.
That result marked another step beyond his earlier status as a rapper gradually crossing into country. He had now reached the top of the all-genre album chart.
The achievement also continued the pattern that makes his career chronology notable: some of his biggest milestones arrived around age 40, considerably later than the point at which many artists first become nationally prominent.
Grammys and the Grand Ole Opry
By 2026, Jelly Roll had accumulated recognition from two major institutions in American music.
The Recording Academy’s official record lists three Grammy wins for him at the 2026 awards. He won Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken, Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Amen” with Shaboozey, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
On March 10, 2026, he also became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, connecting his career more formally to one of country music’s longest-running institutions.
Those achievements came when Jelly Roll was 41—roughly three years after his first country-radio No. 1.
As of August 2026, he also remained active as a recording artist. Apple Music lists “Hands Up,” released June 24, 2026, among his latest music.
Why some websites give a different age or birthday
A few online profiles contain conflicting or stale information about Jelly Roll’s age.
The strongest evidence supports December 4, 1984 as his date of birth. One Grand Ole Opry profile has listed December 3, while another entertainment page has published an internally inconsistent 1986 birth year. Some artist databases have also continued displaying an old age even while listing the correct 1984 birth date.
Those discrepancies do not outweigh the December 4, 1984 evidence, which also matches reporting on Jelly Roll celebrating his 41st birthday on December 4, 2025.
The practical calculation is straightforward: born December 4, 1984, he turned 41 on December 4, 2025 and will turn 42 on December 4, 2026.
Conclusion
Jelly Roll is 41 years old as of August 25, 2026, but the more revealing part of that answer is where those years fall in his career. He spent a long period making rap and independent music before finding a broader country audience, and many of his defining mainstream achievements—from his first country-radio No. 1 to a Billboard 200 chart-topper, three Grammy wins and Grand Ole Opry membership—arrived from his late 30s into his early 40s.