Jelly Roll at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala held at The Beverly Hilton on February 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores for Billboard
Jelly Roll and Tori Kelly are set to appear on American Idol, where they will both serve as guest mentors and perform during season 22 of the long-running musical competition, Entertainment Tonight reports.
Singer-rapper-songwriter Jelly Roll was recently nominated for two Grammy Awards, for the all-genre best new artist accolade, as well as for best country duo/group performance for “Save Me” with his labelmate Lainey Wilson. In November, Jelly Roll picked up his first CMA Award win, for new artist of the year. The Billboard cover star also earned three consecutive No. 1 Country Airplay hits in 2023 with “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and “Save Me.” Meanwhile, his collaboration with Jessie Murph, “Wild Ones,” is currently at No. 35 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
Of course, this isn’t Jelly Roll’s intro to Idol. Last year, he teamed with Wilson to perform “Save Me” on the American Idol finale. He also performed “Need a Favor” with Idol contestant Oliver Steele.
For Kelly, the upcoming appearance marks a homecoming of sorts, as Kelly launched her career in part through American Idol, making it through to Hollywood Week in season 9. She went on to release her debut EP Handmade Songs in 2012 and has stacked up hits with songs including “Nobody Love,” in addition to “Never Alone,” featuring Kirk Franklin.
In addition to top-tier mentors, this season’s contestants will see some sand and sun when the episodes featuring Jelly Roll and Tori Kelly tape in Ko Olina, Hawaii, as this year’s contestants perform seaside before judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as host Ryan Seacrest.
American Idol‘s 22nd season will launch Feb. 18 on ABC.
