Singer Jelly Roll stopped his concert for a fan who lost her mom — and gave her a moment she’ll never forget

Elena Flores (@elenarose_philly on Instagram), a little girl, couldn't stop crying when she saw Jelly Roll, the American singer, perform his iconic song, "I Am Not Okay," at his concert in New Jersey. Flores had shown up at the venue, holding a sign, paying an emotional tribute to her mother, whom she lost almost a year ago. When Roll noticed the girl, he also got emotional, visibly affecting his performance midway. The now-viral video, shared by Melztang (@melztang) on TikTok, has received over 4 million views online. 

Flores' mother was also a big fan of the "Save Me" artist; in fact, she had written his lyrics in her journal and always wanted to attend his concert. To honor her love for the singer, Flores held a signboard up in the air, hoping the "Son of a Sinner" artist would notice. As tears continued to roll down her cheeks, Flores' placard, which read, "Jelly Roll, my mom-mom died last August. She wrote your lyrics in her journal. If she could, she would be here!" caught the singer's attention. "What a strong young lady it takes to be here representing your mama like that, and I’m not sure that I can say anything that can make it better. I hope you know that it’s okay to not be okay. But I promise you, it’s going to be all right. We’re going to dedicate this to her," Roll said onstage, addressing Flores, before he began singing, "I Am Not Okay."

Seeing the girl so heartbroken, the singer fell silent for a moment, but continued performing, except his voice was breaking now and then — a clear indication that he felt every bit of the little girl's emotion. Moreover, Flores took to her Instagram to share a special video of meeting Roll backstage. "How will anything top this moment? Thank you @jellyroll615, your lyrics will always be special to us & now more than ever!" she wrote in the caption. 

Meanwhile, reacting to Jelly Roll's clip, @amy commented, "I love Jelly Roll. He has such a genuine heart, and that's what makes him such an amazing person. My heart broke when I saw her (the girl) crying and the sign she was holding, but sweet girl, your mama was there in spirit, and your heart." Similarly, someone who goes by @lucyannlondon said, "You can see the genuine empathy in his eyes and hear his voice break; say what you want to about this man, but he has the biggest heart!" @bige513 recalled, "My mother-in-law died on the day of Jelly Roll's concert, and this was the first song he sang. That was a rough time."

Echoing the sentiments, @lauren commented, "Wish Jelly would have brought her up on stage. But regardless, she felt seen enough where she was, and I sure hope that baby and her family are okay, whatever the reason is. She’s just so young, and it breaks my heart to see her like that." @bri shared, "My mom suffered a tragic accident and slipped into a coma for a month. She came out with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and forgot many people in her life, but when I played Jelly Roll in the hospital for her, and she sang every lyrics. This shit hits hard!" Another user, who goes by @beverly_210hostmom on the platform, wrote, "Omg, that just hit me to the core. That sweet baby and watching Jelly Roll go from an artist to a dad in 2 seconds flat. You know he wanted to hug that girl."

You can follow Melztang (@melztang) on TikTok for more such concert videos.