Jelly Roll made a powerful debut on the Madison Square Garden stage during the star-studded iHeartRadio Z100 Jingle Ball presented by Capital One on Friday night (December 8). The genre-blending country megastar, hailing from the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, took the New York audience to church with fan-favorite anthems from his latest full-length album, Whitsitt Chapel.

The reigning CMA Awards New Artist of the Year winner kicked off his set with “Halfway to Hell,” the opening track on his album named in honor of the church he attended growing up. After performing “Son of a Sinner,” his first No. 1 on country radio, Jelly Roll proved he’s a lifelong fan of all genres of music. He launched into a hip-hop/R&B medley, leading the whole venue in a singalong of classic throwbacks like Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” and Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” among others. That’s when surprise guest Jessie Murph emerged on stage to join Jelly Roll and perform the duo’s duet, “Wild Ones.”

Jelly Roll, who recently celebrated his 39th birthday, moved on with “Need a Favor,” another smash-hit single from Whitsitt Chapel. He also shared a powerful dedication as he led into “Save Me,” rooting for the underdogs and anyone enduring hardships in their lives. Jelly Roll recently said he “could not have picked a better person to reimagine this song with,” than reigning CMA Awards Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson.

Casey Carter