Brent Smith hints at the possibility of the two acts recording together

Shinedown vocalist Brent Smith revealed the exciting possibility of collaborating with country star Jelly Roll. Smith teased the collab on The Spout Podcast with host Erik Zachary.

“One hundred percent. It might be in the works. I mean, I don’t know. If I say it, it’s probably going to happen,” Smith teases. “We just have a mutual love for one another and just care so deeply about who he is as an individual and his story.”

Smith continues, “This man (Jelly Roll) is the real thing on so many different levels. Could not be a more genuine individual. Talented as all get out. I remember when, you know, we brought him out with us in 2022 on tour, there were people that were like, who is, why, like, what is going on here? Who is this? And I’m like, ‘Just get ready, man’…I told him (Jelly Roll) too. I said, ‘Man you are about to get into the most amazing rocket ship that only you can captain.'”

During the conversation, Smith also discussed Shinedown’s latest single, “A Symptom of Being Human,” which recently soared to the top of the charts, marking their 19th No. 1 single.

“The song came from the fact that we’re all a work in progress,” Smith states. “You know, we wrote the song in the midst of a pandemic when everybody was going through an array of emotions. People were angry. They were sad. They were lonely. They were frustrated. And a lot of ways symptom was a gift because it kind of utilized us as a vessel so that it could be born.”

Smith also touched on the evolving landscape of music genres, and how the band’s catalog is now being discovered by younger audiences.

“We don’t really write music inside of a vacuum, nor do we write in a box. And what I mean by that is, to us, we’re inspired by so many different styles of music and so many different types of prolific songwriters that, go from all sides of the spectrum of music. We don’t handcuff ourselves creatively. We never have on any record. So, it’s not to us about, it’s not a reflection of whether it’s pop music, rock music, rap music, country music, metal, however, you want to look at it. It’s about all music. And I think that for us too, we’ve always had a way of discussing the human spirit more than anything in our songs.”

While Shinedown is the most successful rock radio band of all time, recently honored by Mediabase with an award for the most No. 1’s, Top 5’s and Top 10’s in Mediabase Active Rock Chart history, they’ve always believed that music is universal and doesn’t have to be put in a genre box, as evidenced by the response to “A Symptom Of Being Human” resonating with all listeners with its uplifting and important message about how we are all a work in progress. The band’s exploration of the resilience of the human spirit, experiences with mental health, and the importance of empathy shine through in the track reminding us that we are more similar than we are different. Collectively, “A Symptom Of Being Human” has amassed over 40 million streams across all versions including a pop remix, acoustic version, and piano version.

Shinedown is currently nominated for Rock Artist of the Year and Rock Song of the Year for their previous No. 1 “Dead Don’t Die” at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards. The band’s official photographer Sanjay Parikh is also up for Favorite Tour Photographer, a fan-voted award, for his work on their massively successful Revolutions Live Tour.