Following his breakthrough album from 2023, Whitsitt Chapel, Jelly Roll has become a country superstar widely embraced for the former rapper’s confessional, soul-searching songs and larger-than-life personality, as well as his redemptive arc as an ex-convict.

As he began promoting and releasing songs from his follow-up release, October 11 Beautifully brokenJelly Roll also made it abundantly clear on social media that debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 would be a dream come true. To dream came true this weekas the set entered on top with 161,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. for the week ending Oct. 17, according to Luminate — the artist’s best-ever week in units and the third-biggest week, in units, for any country album in 2024.

Work began more than a year ago, when Jelly Roll began writing and recording songs for the new album. He worked closely with Katie Kerkhovervp of A&R for Nashville-based BMG/BBR Music Group (which released the album in conjunction with Republic), whose own background as a musician helped inform her work with Jelly Roll. And her contribution to Beautifully broken help earn Kerkhover the title Notice boardBoss of the week.

Here, Kerkhover discusses the creation of the album from the “vision” Jelly Roll brought to its creation, his sense of purpose in recording each song, and the intent behind choosing his duet partners from multiple genres, as well as the non-stop marketing efforts that brought it over the border.

Beautifully broken debuted at No. 1, something Jelly Roll made clear was his goal. What decisions did you make when creating the album that you felt would increase its chances of a first debut?

Jelly has a very strong vision for the impact he wants to make with his music. It has a purpose. Every song he writes has a purpose. Making sure that his heart and the seriousness of his message was the constant that guided everyone was essential in making the album. Encouraging those involved, who have their fingerprints on it with him, to bring that feeling out of their own contributions was crucial. Make sure the production and mixes reflected Jelly’s feelings. He created until the very last moments, so having trust in each other as we counted the hours to the last minute was also extremely important. Don’t forget he finished this album while in the middle of the tour.

This album was a joint project with Republic. How was the division of labor in terms of A&R?

Jelly started working on this album in 2023. He had already defined a solid foundation and clear direction, so when Republic joined the team, we all knew what we were aiming for. It wasn’t so much a division of labor as more of how we work together to add the most value to Jelly. What strengths do we have individually and together to raise his vision and reach his goals.

Was there a mission statement from the moment you started recording songs for what Jelly Roll wanted the album to be?

There was no more of a mission statement than what you hear him say all the time, “I make real music, for real people, with real problems.” When we started going through songs in 2023, we listened to every song he wrote and focused on the ones that had the biggest impact. Did we feel something? One of the things I admire most about Jelly is that he always comes back to the purpose and why. “Why am I cutting this song? What purpose does it serve on the album and in other people’s lives?”

Jelly Roll duets with a number of artists, country and otherwise, on Beautifully brokenincluding Halsey, Keith Urban and Wiz Khalifa. How were his duet partners chosen and how does the diversity of artists broaden the album’s appeal?

The collaborators were chosen by who Jelly felt the song would resonate with. Who would be the best person to add their talent and continue to elevate the song? As for the wider appeal, Jelly is a huge music lover and that’s why you see so much diversity in his collaborators on this album. I think it’s only natural that the appeal broadens because he creates without boundaries and ultimately it’s the human factor that connects us all. Fun fact: he also knows more about the history of songs, artists and genres than anyone I’ve met, so his well of potential collaborators is deep.

“I’m Not Okay” deals with mental health and is a Hot 100 hit for Jelly Roll. How has that song given him a new audience?

We all have times when we struggle and are not okay. The message in this song transcends genres and resonates deeply with listeners. Jelly has the courage to share his personal struggles through candid lyrics, revealing a vulnerability that truly allows him to connect with a wider audience, including those who may not have been familiar with his previous work.

There are several different configurations of beautifully broken, anywhere from 14 to 28 tracks. How was the sequencing of each project determined to convey a cohesive body of work regardless of which variant fans bought?

We chose the first 14 as the first collection for vinyl because he was still writing. The sequencing is tied together by the overall message that Beautifully broken is a reflection on his experiences with mental health and addiction, and the idea of ​​winning comes from losing. The road to reconciliation has no shortcuts and there will be ups and downs along the way. It all started when he chose “Winning Streak” as the opening track of the album.

Beautifully broken achieves the third biggest week for a country album in 2024, behind Beyoncé and Post Malone. What does this mean for Stoney Creek/BBR?

Jelly’s success speaks volumes for the incredible connection he shares with his audience. His fan base is wide and deeply passionate and shows up in full force for every project. This relationship helps us grow as a team, driving us to innovate and strategically add resources that make sense. Our collaboration with Republic in this project is an example.

But the real driving force behind this achievement is Jelly herself. The sheer amount of work he put into creating and promoting this album is nothing short of astounding. For two months before its release, Jelly did not have a single spare minute. Every ounce of his energy was put into making this album the best it could be, and the results speak for themselves. His work ethic, along with the passion of his fans, made this project a real success.

You come from a publishing background. How did that help you approach choosing songs for this album?

I have had a long and extensive career as a touring musician, having played the violin since the age of four. Before I turned 20, I was performing hundreds of shows a year with Nashville artists like Sarah Evans and Billy Curringtonplaying at the biggest country festivals and stadiums.

What I wanted to do was take my real life musical experience and turn it into a tool to help songwriters and artists master their craft. A good example of that is from late 2020 when I joined BMG as publishing A&R. One of the first things I did was bring in the incredibly talented songwriter/producer Austin Niveraljust like the label signed Jelly Roll. I immediately saw the potential for the two to collaborate, (then BMG Nashville president) Jon Loba recognized my strengths and eventually appointed me to head A&R for the label side. As we know, Jelly and Austin would go on to write the massive hit “Need A Favor” from Whitsitt Chapeland they continued their collaboration with Beautifully brokenset the tone for the album with “Winning Streak.”