NEWBURGH, In. (WEHT) – Country music artist, Jelly Roll, is making waves with millions of people, including the sweetest little music fan from right here in the Tri-State.
Life is hectic for the Appell family to begin with, but when one specific artist is playing, it gets even crazier. Tiffany Appell, 3-year-old Serenity’s mom, says her daughter’s love for Jelly Roll came out of nowhere.
Jason Bradley DeFord–known as “Jelly Roll”–is an award-winning artist across several genres. But he wasn’t always known by millions of people.
From a young age, his mother dealt with mental health and substance abuse issues. At age 14, he was arrested with possession of marijuana and attempted robbery.
Appell says that’s what makes his story inspiring and relatable. “I have struggled with drug abuse and I’m freshly sober, so his music means a lot to me”
Later, Jelly Roll began selling mixtapes out of his car. In January, he scored his first number one song on Country Radio with “Son of a Sinner”. Serenity’s dad posted a video to his social media accounts, and after being reposted several times, Jelly Roll commented on it.
He said, “Omg. This might be the single cutest video I’ve ever seen.” Serenity might not understand it yet, but her mom can’t wait for the day she can tell her daughter her favorite artist knows who she is. “She’s a little ham, I’m sure she’ll eat it up.”
