This week marked the culmination of a lot of hard work — and red tape — for Jelly Roll, who finally made it to Canada to play his first-ever international shows.

Touring outside the U.S. is complicated for Jelly, who had to work extra hard to get a U.S. passport due to his past felony conviction. Even after the logistics had been worked out stateside, getting other countries to let an ex-con enter continued to prove tricky.

But the singer persevered, and as he finally played his first Canadian shows this week, Jelly said he was soaking up the local culture. Onstage, he told one of his Canadian crowds that he had two favorite things about their country so far.

“Technically this week is officially my international debut,” he said. “Man, let me tell you something. Everything’s been great.

“Cover the kids’ ears, but the weed has been incredible,” Jelly went on to say. “And the people have been great. I mean, I never had poutine until yesterday. I went to Smoke’s [Poutinerie, a Canadian chain]. It was fire. I’m sorry I was late to the party, but I will take it home and make it tradition to throw gravy on my fries. It was fire.”

During a show in Toronto, Ontario, on Wednesday night (July 10), Jelly had a special surprise up his sleeve to celebrate his first Canadian run. He brought out the Backstreet Boys’ A.J. McLean, and the pair sang a duet rendition of the boy band’s classic “I Want It That Way.”

Why Was It So Difficult for Jelly Roll to Plan an International Tour?

• Jelly’s history as a convicted felon makes it complicated for him to travel outside of the country.
• The singer incurred his felony charge when he was arrested for aggravated robbery at age 16.
• Tennessee has a zero-forgiveness policy for felony offenders, meaning that even though Jelly served his time, his conviction is still on his record, and the repercussions continue to affect his professional and personal life.
• He also lost out on buying a dream house — which was in a gated community and a golf course — due to his felony.
• Jelly eventually was able to obtain the proper paperwork to travel outside of the U.S., but it’s still been difficult to get other countries to let him enter. That being said, he was able to book Canadian shows as part of his 2024 Beautifully Broken Tour.

Carena Liptak is an Associate Editor and staff writer at Taste of Country. She specializes in breaking country music news, interviews and lists. In particular, she’s got a soft spot for sad songs — check out her roundup of the 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time!