Entertainment Music Country Music Jelly Roll Says Lainey Wilson's 'Work Ethic Is Next Level' — but She Thinks His Might Be Even Better "If Jelly Roll don't beat me with the whole work ethic thing, I think he comes in a close second," said Wilson in a recent interview By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 2, 2024 05:35PM EDT Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles in April 2024. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson sing each other's praises both on and off the stage. After Jelly spoke positively about Wilson's work ethic in an interview on the Taste of Country Nights podcast following last year's CMA Awards, she paid the same compliment his way while speaking to the outlet more recently. "When I seen her, I could tell she was a little frazzled. I said, 'You OK?'" recalled the "Need a Favor" singer, 39, in November 2023. "She'd just pulled up, she was running late. She was like, 'Man, I had to wake up at 5 o'clock this morning to catch a flight, and had a layover at such and such for five hours. I leave here and I got a 4 a.m. flight tomorrow to do a corporate show at three in the afternoon, then I gotta fly to another city to do Luke Combs' [tour].'" Jelly Roll Reacts to Earning First ACMs Nominations — Including Entertainer of the Year: 'Insanity' (Exclusive) "These were commercial flights," specified Jelly at the time. "This girl was running on fumes. Her work ethic is next level." Wilson was the 2023 CMA Awards' top winner, as she took home five awards (including entertainer of the year) at the ceremony in Nashville. Jelly, meanwhile, received new artist of the year that night. In an interview with Taste of Country Nights this week, the "Heart Like a Truck" singer responded to Jelly's comments and praised him in return. Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles in April 2024. Kevin Mazur/Getty Lainey Wilson Is a Total Vibe "I'll take it," Wilson said. "But I will say, you know, if Jelly Roll don't beat me with the whole work ethic thing, I think he comes in a close second, 'cause he's always somewhere. I'm like, 'Man, I thought I was the only one running around,' and he's like, 'I been running around, too.'" "But it's fun, this is what we asked for, and I feel so blessed and lucky to be a part of what's happening right now" she added. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson perform during the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles in April 2024. Amy Sussman/Getty The two musicians scored a hit together last year with a remix of Jelly's single "Save Me," ultimately reaching No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Country Airplay chart and No. 19 on the all-genres Hot 100 chart. "Save Me" earned Wilson and Jelly a Grammy nomination for best country duo/group performance at the 2024 ceremony, and the song has been certified three-times platinum in the U.S. "Jelly has done a beautiful job of not only shedding light on his journey but giving fans a safe space within his music," Wilson told Billboard in September 2023. "Being able to reach beyond genres is a true testament to how many folks this song speaks to." Close