Inside Jelly Roll’s Stage Fright Battle: Singer Overcomes Pre-Show Anxiety With Saunas and Cold Plunges

Jelly Roll is one of the biggest stars in the music industry, but he still gets nervous in front of a crowd! The country singer has learned how to combat his stage fright and relies on a few tried-and-true methods to calm him down before showtime, a source exclusively tells Life & Style.

“He spends a large amount of time preparing to face his adoring fans by sitting in a hot sauna and then taking a cold plunge,” the insider reveals. Jelly Roll, 40, also eats “bananas — which are good for beating stress and anxiety,” as well as “doing vocal warm-ups, cardio exercises and stretching, and praying he doesn’t forget his lyrics.”

“He must do these things, otherwise he will start sweating and get panicky,” the source explains.

The source says the “Save Me” singer “spent so many years trying to break in [to the music industry] and now that he’s arrived, the doubts and fears seem to have increased.” However, “once he’s on stage and doing his thing, he’s fine. The fans sustain him, the music lifts him, and the nerves go away. Until next time, that is.”

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Jelly Roll (real name: Jason DeFord) shared a YouTube short titled “Pre-show jitters never go away y’all,” while adding a search for “confidence tips” over the video posted in December 2024.

The “Wild Ones” artist opened up about getting nervous ahead of his performance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live‘s 50th season opener last September.

“I spent two hours just thinking about how I was going to f–k it up. There’s no way I’m gonna go out there and get this right,” he confessed to Andrew Schulz on the January 2 episode of the comedian’s “Flagrant” podcast.

Jelly Roll revealed he was “just circling” anxiously in the green room before finally going out to sit with his wife, Bunnie Xo, in the audience to calm down.

When asked what was going through his mind when he heard the introduction, “Ladies and gentlemen, Jelly Roll,” the Nashville native replied, “Why wasn’t I this nervous the first time? It was the same introduction, the same people … Now I know it’s live,” before his performance of “Winning Streak.”

The CMA award winner opened up about one of his biggest performances coming up to date. He’s headlining the second night of country music’s Stagecoach Festival on April 26.

“It’s huge, huge, huge. It’s our Coachella,” he explained. Jelly Roll noted how the concert is expected to draw 75,000 fans for his set, which he thought was “insane.”

“It should say Jelly Roll and friends, cause I got big tricks up my sleeve,” he teased about another artist joining him on stage. Jelly Roll said he had “one commitment” and if it comes through, “It’s going to be the most legendary thing that’s ever happened at Stagecoach.”

One thing that doesn’t rattle the “Need a Favor” singer is his ongoing weight loss journey. Jelly Roll has lost over 100 pounds and revealed he might need to undergo surgery to remove excess skin.

While talking about how his sex life with Bunnie Xo, 44, has improved after shedding the pounds, Jelly Roll revealed the “Dumb Blonde” podcast host gave him a little nudge about his “pouch.”

He revealed Bunnie told him, “Daddy, you’re a little older now. We might just have to get that thing cut off.”

“I’m like a kangaroo with a pouch above my p–ker. I found myself in this juxtaposition where I’m losing weight here, but the pouch is still pouching,” Jelly Roll said.