Jelly Roll & Brandon Lake Team Up for a Reimagined Version of ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’
Contemporary worship artist Brandon Lake is teaming up with Country music star Jelly Roll to provide a fresh new take on Lake's hit song "Hard Fought Hallelujah." Both Lake and Roll shared a snippet of the song on social media, which the full song will be released February 7. "Hard Fought Hallelujah" was originally written by Lake, with Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings, Elevation Church singer-songwriter Chris Brown, and Rodrick Simmons, and has become a hit following its release in November 2024.
"I wanted to give my fans a taste of something special while on the road," Lake shared of the song, according to CCM Magazine. "This song is about the battles we face, the grit throughout the fight for faith, and the praise that comes after. I hope it resonates deeply with everyone."
The lyrics read in part:
There's times when my hands go up freely
And times that it costs,
There's days when a praise comes out easy
Days when it takes all the strength I got
I'll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, been-through-hell hallelujah
I'll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail story to tell hallelujah
Last month, Lake released Hard-Fought Hallelujah: Heavyweight Edition, an 8-track EP featuring various versions of the song, including live, demo, acoustic, and instrumental versions. The song landed Lake on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his sixth No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
At the 2024 Dove Awards, Lake won Songwriter of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for his Coat of Many Colors album. He also received Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (Coat of Many Colors) and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/song (for "Praise").
Meanwhile, Jelly Roll's latest album, Beautifully Broken, topped the Billboard 200 last year and received three trophies at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. A former drug dealer turned country star, Roll rose to fame in 2021 after launching his musical career in 2003 as a hip-hop artist. His songs have often contained faith-centered references.
During an interview with Fox News last April, he spoke about how faith in God has been his "driving force" in both his life and career.
"Faith was a lot of me believing it was going to work out for me," he said. "Could you imagine being a 37-year-old, unsuccessful musician when you told people that was your job?"
In his acceptance speech at the 2024 iHeartRadio awards, he shared how the Lord has influenced his career.
"What does it mean when a guy like me gets the opportunity to be the new pop artist of the year at [the] iHeartRadio awards? It means that God will always use the least likely messenger with the biggest message, every single time," he said.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Brandon Lake
Originally published January 23, 2025.
