The CMA Fest audience wasn’t ready for what Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll unleashed on stage. Their explosive rendition of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” left the crowd roaring and rumors swirling about the chemistry between the artists. From emotional lyrics to whispers of backstage drama, this performance has everyone talking—and dying to know what went on behind the scenes.

Their performance was one of the highlights of CMA Fest and will certainly be remembered as one of the most powerful in CMA history.

Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll teamed up to deliver a powerful performance of their buzzed-about collaboration, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” at 2025 CMA Fest.

The 35-year-old award-winning Christian artist and 40-year-old genre-bending superstar took fans to church with their stirring performance of the chart-topping track.  Performing from the b-stage in the center of the Nissan Stadium floor in Downtown Nashville, surrounded by dozens of fans, the pair lifted their voices in gratitude while praising God in song.

“I’ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt/ Been-through-hell hallelujah (ooh, ooh)/ And I’ll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail/ Story-to-tell hallelujah, oh/ ‘Cause God, You’ve been patient/ God, You’ve been gracious/ Faithful, whatever I’m feeling or facing/ So I’ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, it-is-well hallelujah, whoa-oh/ Hallelujah (ooh, ooh), hallelujah,” Lake and Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, sang in unison on the chorus of the track.

As the goosebumps-inducing performance continued, a full-blown gospel choir entered the main stage beneath the glow of a massive cross made of lit up drones.

“We love you Lord, thank you for letting us testify tonight at CMA Fest, we feel you here tonight. Thank you for being with us right now, God,” Jelly Roll shouted as the final notes of the song rang out.

Their performance was one of the highlights of CMA Fest and will certainly be remembered as one of the most powerful in CMA history.

Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll; Photo Courtesy of Josh Brasted/CMA
“Hard Fought Hallelujah” was first released as a solo track by Brandon Lake in November 2024 and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart, as well No. 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. He then went on to ask Jelly Roll to join him to reimagine the track as a duet in February of 2025.

“Hard Fought Hallelujah” featuring Jelly Roll appears on Brandon Lake’s latest album, King Of Hearts, which arrived just days after his CMA Fest performance. King Of Hearts, Brandon Lake’s fifth studio album, also features fan-favorite tracks such as “That’s Who I Praise,” “I Know A Name (feat. CeCe Winans),” “Sevens,” “Daddy’s DNA,” “Plans,” and more. The project 16-track project, which already feature two No. 1 singles, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart, marking Lake’s first top 10 entry on the coveted chart.

Prior to taking the Nissan Stadium stage, the five-time GRAMMY Award winner opened up about “Hard Fought Hallelujah” and how the duet version with Jelly Roll came to be.

Lake recalled the moment when he connected with Jelly Roll to add him to the track, “I wrote the song with some friends of mine last year, and then I released it and just thinking about the lyrics of this song, I knew it would resonate with Jelly Roll, and I thought it might be a long shot, but we reached out, having no idea that Jelly Roll had already heard the song on TikTok a week before he threw his phone away and switched to a flip phone. So he was like, I love this song. My team reaches out and is like, ‘Hey, would you jump on this song, having no idea what’s going on. He was like, automatically was like, ‘a hundred percent yes, I love this song.’”

After a single conversation, Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll formed an instant bond that quickly blossomed into what will likely be a lifelong friendship.

“The First time we talked on the phone for like an hour, and it was just about life and being dad, husband and traveling and all those kinds of things. So a real brotherhood started, and it’s just grown and grown,” Lake continued. “It’s like he’s truly, he calls me all the time, and we just talk, and he’s like a brother.”

Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll; Photo Courtesy of CMA

Additionally, Brandon Lake will take the project on the road for his headlining King Of Hearts Tour, featuring special guest Franni Cash. The much-anticipated trek will kick off on October 2 in Sunrise, Florida.

2025 CMA Fest

Dubbed “The Music Event of Summer,” CMA Fest Presented by SoFi featured 30+ performances from some of Country music’s hottest stars, including Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Jordan Davis, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum, Ashley McBryde, Rascal Flatts, The Red Clay Strays, Dylan Scott, Zach Top, Keith Urban and more.

The three-hour broadcast also included unforgettable collaborations from the 2025 CMA Fest. Brooks & Dunn teamed up with Lainey Wilson for “Play Something Country” and with Marcus King for “Rock My World [Little Country Girl],” Dierks Bentley joined forces with Zach Top on “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and a “Mountain Music” medley, Cody Johnson and Carín León performed “She Hurts Like Tequila,” Jason Aldean and Travis Tritt united for “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins teamed up for  “Hillbilly Bone,” and Bailey Zimmerman and BigXthaPlug showcased their new duet “All The Way” and more.

CMA Fest presented by SoFi was filmed at Nissan Stadium during Music City’s four-day country music festival, which took place Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8. 2025 marked the 19th consecutive year that CMA has produced a summer concert TV special. The show is a production of the Country Music Association, executive produced and written by Robert Deaton and directed by Alan Carter. The 2025 airing marks the 22nd consecutive year CMA has produced a summer concert TV special.

The CMA Fest special aired on Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC and is available to watch on-demand on Friday, June 27 via Hulu.