Jelly Roll 'Found His Voice' by 'Overcoming' Addiction and Prison Sentence: 'I Was a Horrible Human for Decades'

Jelly Roll went from wearing an orange jumpsuit to opening the 2023 Country Music Awards — though the road in between was far from easy.

The "Save Me" singer, 38, has come a long way since receiving his first prison sentence for theft charges at the young age of 14, as he was able to turn his life around and become the most nominated male artist for this year's CMAs.

"I wouldn't be the man I am today if it wasn't for what I went through. I think it empowered me. I think it gave me my voice," Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, revealed to a news publication of his trouble with the law, including the two years he spent behind bars when he was 18 years old for armed robbery charges.

"It taught me a lot about overcoming. It taught me a lot about changing and the ability to change," the Nashville native explained.

Jelly Roll admitted: "I was a horrible human for decades, and to just be able to turn that around and give a message in the music and help people… and just try to give back as much as I can in every way I can is very indicative of where I came from and how important it is to me to always reach back."

The "Wild Ones" vocalist can hardly comprehend the reality of receiving an impressive five nominations for the 2023 Country Music Awards, which is being emceed by returning co-hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, November 8.

"To hear about being the most nominated is just unreal," he detailed. "You know, I didn't frankly… I don't know if I expected to even be nominated, you know, and to wake up and have the nominations, and then be the most nominated male? Then to turn around and be asked to open the actual show?"

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"At every level, it just keeps getting wilder," Jelly Roll expressed of his rise to fame, as he released his debut album in 2010, but his career didn't start to skyrocket until 2017, when his collaborative single with Struggle Jennings, called "The Bottom," landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Roughly six years later, Jelly Roll is in the running for new artist of the year at this years CMAs, and has previously won three CMT Music Awards for the song "Son of a Sinner."

Fox News Digital spoke to Jelly Roll ahead of the 2023 CMAs.