“Bubba, That's Gonna Be Song of the Year”: See Jelly Roll's Emotional Reaction to Brandon Lake's New Unreleased Song, ‘Daddy's DNA’

Shortly before taking the stage for their Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance Brandon Lake treated Jelly Roll to a sneak preview of his keenly anticipated new album, King Of Hearts.

In a heartwarming video shared across socials, Lake plays a snippet of his unreleased track, ‘Daddy's DNA’, which finds the South Carolina crooner reflecting on the mistakes he's made, and how God has always shown him grace regardless (“Could I ever be forgiven? / I'm afraid to even ask to come back home / ‘Cause I went running like a rebel / Racked up debts I couldn't pay / I went dancing with the devil / With one foot in the grave / How the Heaven did I get here? / Went and threw it all away / All I've given you is trouble / All you've given me is grace”).

Endearingly, Jelly Roll wastes no time in telling Brandon Lake just how much he loves the new track, gushing, “Bubba, that's gonna be song of the year! That is insane. I got goosebumps in my knees, dog - I don't get goosebumps below my waist, Brandon!”

‘Daddy's DNA’ is set to appear on Brandon Lake's King Of Hearts, alongside the previously released singles, ‘That's Who I Praise’ and ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ with Jelly Roll.

The duo delivered a rousing, soul-stirring rendition of their viral collaboration on Jimmy Kimmel Live, with Lake and Jelly showcasing their charismatic, gravelly vocals throughout. They captured the stormy yet quietly hopeful ambience that pervades the studio version, which continues to gain momentum across TikTok.

Both ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ and ‘Daddy's DNA’ demonstrate Brandon Lake's ability to infuse the overwhelming sense of joy and relief he feels through his faith, while still allowing listeners to see the struggles and challenges he faced to get to this point.

Earlier in the year, the Contemporary Christian trailblazer sat down with Jelly Roll to discuss their respective approaches to spirituality, as well as shedding light on why they decided to join forces for this spellbinding duet version of ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’.

Since its release in February, the rock-tinged anthem has racked up over 10 million streams on Spotify, with ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ becoming Brandon Lake's first song to chart on the prestigious all-genre Billboard Hot 100. The soulful ode debuted at No. 51. Earlier in the week, Lake and Jelly Roll served up a stellar, high-profile performance of their joint hit on the latest episode of American Idol.

Yesterday, Brandon Lake confirmed he would be adding a second home-state show at Charleston's Credit One Stadium in 2026, with the ‘Gratitude’ hitmaker cementing himself as one of the most prominent figures in the Contemporary Christian space.

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