Jelly Roll has risen to the top in 2024 but the “Need a Favor” singer never forgets where he came from.
The 39-year-old musician might be the Best New Country Artist of the Year with the best Rock Song of the Year, but he’s also just a humble guy, happy to use his voice for inspiration and growth in Senate hearings, at juvenile detention centers, and even at roadside lemonade stands.
While driving through West Valley City, Utah—ahead of his Beautifully Broken Tour stop at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, August 27—Jelly Roll passed a lemonade stand that he couldn’t resist.
“How many people we got in the car? I need three lemonades and two orange juices,” he told the little girl manning the stand. When he asked her how much he owed, she said $0.50 a cup, $2.50 in total. But Jelly Roll had different plans. “We were so thirsty, that we want to come bless y’all today,” he told her while handing over a stack of bills. “We don’t need no change—you keep that tip, okay baby? You go buy you something really nice, alright? Because you worked hard.”
After the encounter, the “I Am Not Okay” singer posed with the little girl and her friends before driving off.
Wendy Gardunio—the little girl’s mom—recounted the visit on Facebook.
“So today was an interesting day, my kid and her cousins wanted to do a lemonade stand,” Wendy revealed in the post. “And they had a famous singer come and buy some lemonade. Who would have thought that we would run into Jelly Roll in West Valley. And for him to be so generous with giving them almost $700.”
This is far from the first time Jelly Roll has given back, though. Most recently, the award-winning country star announced that all net profits from pre-orders of his new album, Beautifully Broken, “ will benefit organizations helping individuals facing challenges with mental health and addiction.” You can shop his store here.
Rebecca Ravee Norris is a freelance writer with a decade’s worth of lifestyle media experience. Based out of the Washington metropolitan area, she covers everything from beauty and wellness to style and celebrity news. She is a graduate of George Mason University and has a B.A. in Media: Production, Consumption, and Critique, along with a minor in Electronic Journalism. When she’s not writing, she can be found with her beloved Jack-Chi, Cash, working through reps at the gym, dreaming up her next home decor project, testing a new recipe, getting lost in the pages of a book, or catching up on her favorite shows.
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