Luke Bryan was making music for more than a decade before Jelly Roll started making music. But it's still Jelly Roll who Bryan is now looking to as a guiding light.
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"He's so inspiring," Bryan praises on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "He's like everybody's preacher. ... He lights up the room. You feel his heart."
Bryan has also been on American Idol since 2018. Jelly Roll is currently serving as the first Artist in Residence for this season. His role is bringing new life to the legendary TV show.
"I think him working with these kids, and him being able to really explain his trajectory in music and how everybody's trajectory and path looks different," Bryan reflects. "His was very different ... But I think what he's going to do and is doing, he's doing an amazing job of being another support person for these kids, and uplifting them.
"Jelly Roll uplifts me," he adds. "He gets me waking up wanting to be better. We're honored to have him on there. He's a blast to be around."
Jelly Roll isn't the only one with a new job on American Idol. Carrie Underwood is also enjoying her first season as a judge.
Luke Bryan on 'American Idol'
Bryan is grateful for his time on American Idol. Not only did the show give Bryan a big boost in popularity, but it also changed who he is, as an artist and a person.
"It's like having a looking glass into America's youth," the "Country Song Came On" singer tells Billboard. "Without American Idol, I wouldn't have a front row seat to the ups and the downs of America's youth, growing up in a new wave of social media, with all the positives and the negatives. I've developed a new appreciation for what our youth go through.
"It's taught me to come from a small town in South Georgia and see the melting pot that America is," he continues. "For me to be able to witness that through the youth and their stories and their differences and watching music bringing us all together, it's been very enlightening for me."
American Idol airs on Sundays and Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
