Recognized for his melding of genres, Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, is one of the brightest stars in music. He earned his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Beautifully Broken in October 2024, announced his 2025 Big Ass Stadium Tour alongside Post Malone in November 2024, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards — Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance — ahead of the Feb. 2 ceremony.
So, how is the country-rap crooner thinking about music’s biggest night?
When it comes to getting dressed for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, Jelly Roll’s stylist, Krista Roser, wants to be mindful of the wildfires ravaging parts of Los Angeles County. The Grammys, which are broadcasting live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena, are the first awards show to take place in the city since January’s Golden Globes.
Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox
See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
“With the fires going on right now in L.A., I just felt like we needed to be very respectful,” Roser told Yahoo Entertainment of working with the “I Am Not Okay” singer. “I don’t think it’s a time to be flashy. I don’t think it’s a time to make a fashion statement. I think it’s a time to reflect [and] be respectful of what’s going on, and if you’re going to make that statement, make [it] be a positive note on what’s going on in the world.”
Jelly Roll has taken the music industry by storm in recent years — but his journey to success hasn’t been without hardship. He’s spoken candidly about the decade he spent in and out of correctional facilities from his teens to early twenties, as well as his stint as a drug dealer. But the singer, who was born in Nashville, Tenn., and who left prison for the last time at 24, has made his way to the tops of music charts and as a headliner of sold-out arena tours.
Roser was first put in touch with Jelly Roll three years ago, when a mutual friend connected them.
“Our industry is very word-of-mouth based, and I worked with a football player that [Jelly Roll] was friends with at the time,” she said. “I guess they were hanging out and he recommended me, so [Jelly Roll] called me up himself and we chatted. After one phone call he goes, ‘You’re my girl.’ I’ve been with him ever since.”
The 39-year-old singer was nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 2025 Grammys for his single “I Am Not Okay.” The 2024 track, which candidly delves into his struggles with mental health, often plays in Roser’s mind when she considers which outfit to put him in.
“His music is so much more than just music,” she said. “He is so much to so many people when it comes to people going through their journeys: people that are in prison, basically anyone going through a tough time.”
For Jelly Roll’s 2025 Grammys look, Roser is drawing upon the apprehension surrounding the current state of affairs in the U.S., from the hurricanes that devastated parts of North Carolina in 2024 and the wildfires in Los Angeles to the “excited or nervous” reactions to President Trump returning to office for a second term.
“I am utilizing a lot of letters and comments and messages that [Jelly Roll’s] received from people going through certain things in life, and how his music or his message has helped in that way. I am basically getting those into the outfit in a cool way,” she said.
Styling a musician, Roser explained, requires closer attention to detail than just how something looks. It’s also about how the outfit moves and how the artist moves in it.
“When somebody’s singing, it’s all about what they’re comfortable in, stagewise,” she said. “So we do a lot of stretch fabrics, breathable fabrics. We also like to practice movement in our clothing to make sure if [Jelly Roll] puts his arms up or he’s moving around, it looks good from all angles and situations.”
Jelly Roll in custom Louis Vuitton at the 2024 Grammy Awards. (Kayla Oaddams/WireImage)
At the 2024 Grammys, where Jelly Roll was nominated for the first two Grammys of his career, he wore a Louis Vuitton ensemble designed by the singer-producer Pharrell Williams, who also serves as the men’s creative director for the luxury brand.
“We did a whole custom Louis Vuitton [look], and that was such an honor to be a part of,” Roser said of last year’s look.
While she usually prefers to dress the “Need a Favor” singer in pieces made specifically for him, Roser wanted to take a different approach to styling him for this year’s Grammy Awards. She decided to incorporate garments from Los Angeles-based designers as a show of support amid the California wildfires, which first began burning on Jan. 7.
“We tend to do mostly custom … because it’s not very easy to see people-of-size inclusivity in fashion,” she said. “But this year, I wanted to utilize our L.A.-based designers and keep it close to home.”
She’s also taking cues from the superstar himself. Jelly Roll recently told Roser he’s in his “Johnny Cash Farmer Era,” which appears to blend Americana and country influences. His wife, the social media star Bunnie Xo., also known as Bunnie DeFord, celebrated her husband’s “farmer era” in December 2024, when she posted a TikTok of him in dark denim overalls.
“[His style has] evolved a bit over the last several years. [With] each album, we’ve kind of shifted a little bit based on [its] overall vibe,” said Roser. “[It’s about] utilizing that statement and making it also reflect the different events and things we’re doing.”
Roser ultimately sees clothing as a way of communicating. She focuses on ensuring that her clients’ clothes feel authentic to them. It’s a delicate balance between taking the reins as a stylist and honoring a client’s individuality, but Roser and Jelly Roll manage to nail the brief every time.
“I style based on who my artist is and what they’re wanting their message to be,” she said. “I think of clothing like a language, and I want their clothing to reflect their music and their statement [of] who they are.”
