Jelly Roll is ready to take the stage outside of the United States. The “Need a Favor” singer announced his first-ever pair of international shows in Canada.
According to his official website, Jelly Roll, 39, is scheduled to perform on July 8 at the Meridian Center in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in support of the Heather Winterstein Foundation.
“The Heather Winterstein Foundation and the family of Heather Winterstein are grateful that Jelly Roll is honoring us with his very first Canadian concert on our behalf,” Foundation executive director Jennifer Dockstader said in a statement to Billboard on Tuesday, June 18. “His dedication to raising awareness, sharing his story of healing and supporting substance use disorder treatments are a beacon of hope for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike across Turtle Island. His message brings the struggles of our loved ones into the open and helps us celebrate the healing journeys of our relatives in our community, offering opportunities for equity and reconciliation.”
One day later, the singer will perform at Ottawa’s Bluesfest, which includes a stacked lineup of artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Noah Cyrus, Nickelback and Maroon 5.
“When the opportunity to bring in Jelly Roll surfaced, we jumped on it,” Ottawa Bluesfest executive and artistic director Mark Monahan told Billboard. “He has an amazing story, and he’s a great performer.”
It’s a special milestone for Jelly Roll, who has not booked any concert dates in Canada or overseas due to visa restrictions tied to arrests and convictions earlier in his life. Before his rise to fame, the singer had been to jail nearly 40 times for various drug-related charges.
“It’s funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies,” he told Interview Magazine earlier this month. “We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.”
Jelly Roll has been open about his past and has inspired millions of fans with his candor and honesty. Once he became a father to 15-year-old daughter Bailee Ann, the Grammy nominee said everything changed for the better.
“I honestly think if I wouldn’t have had a kid, I never would’ve broken that cycle,” he said on the June 12 episode of SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “My fear now is [for] the people I love. If I lost all this today and moved back to Antioch, I’d be fine. But if you told me my little girl might not have a friend at her birthday party, I’d cry like a baby before it even happens.”
