Jelly Roll Hits No. 1 Again, Keeping His Perfect Streak Alive

06 Nov 2024 by Hugh McIntyre · Forbes

BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN - JULY 19: Jelly Roll performs on Day 1 of 2024 Faster Horses Festival at ... [+] Michigan International Speedway on July 19, 2024 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Jelly Roll has only scored six hits on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, and all of them have climbed to No. 1, including “I Am Not Okay,” his latest champion. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)Getty Images

Country radio is known as perhaps the most important, and one of the most competitive, formats on the airwaves in America. Dozens of well-known stars, sometimes with similar-sounding singles, are all trying to push their latest efforts to the highest reaches of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, and everyone’s hoping for a No. 1. The musician who scores a new leader on that list this week doesn’t just add to his collection of winners—he keeps his historic and incredible track record perfect.

Jelly Roll’s “I Am Not Okay” rises to the peak position on the Country Airplay chart this week. The song advances from the runner-up slot to No. 1, and this smash is especially notable.

The Grammy-nominated artist has now accrued half a dozen No. 1 hits on the Country Airplay tally throughout his time as a superstar. Amazingly, he’s only placed six tracks onto the list of the most successful tunes at country radio in America. So, every single song he’s promoted to stations across the nation that focus on country music has climbed to the penthouse, if only for one turn.

Half of all those No. 1s have reached the peak slot in 2024 alone. “I Am Not Okay” follows behind his own “Halfway to Hell,” which dominated in June, and “Chevrolet,” his collaboration with Dustin Lynch. That single hit No. 1 in mid-September.

Jelly only began racking up leaders on the Country Airplay chart last year, so he’s managed to accumulate half a dozen champions in a very short span of time. In 2023, “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor,” and “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson all soared to the peak of the radio roster.

“I Am Not Okay” was released as the first single from Jelly’s new album Beautifully Broken, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200—marking his first leader on that list—a short time ago. The tune arrived in June, and it needed 21 weeks before it conquered the Country Airplay chart. The cut was followed by “Liar,” which has reached several Billboard rankings, but so far, not the country radio tally.

As it hits No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, “I Am Not Okay” is also on the rise on several other rankings in the U.S. The single appears inside the top 10 on five other lists, including the Radio Songs, Digital Song Sales, and Hot Country Songs rankings.