On Monday, Oct. 14, “Misunderstood” singer Forrest Frank broke his silence and responded to Jelly Roll‘s question of how making money off Jesus music differs from accepting awards for Jesus music.
Frank’s video came exactly one week after he explained why he would never attend another awards show. The explanation was widely discussed and was controversial among many artists, including now Dove Award-winner Jelly Roll.
It also followed Frank’s announcement that he and his wife are expecting their second child.
Jelly Roll won three Dove Awards, including Song of the Year for his collaboration with Brandon Lake on “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” During Jelly Roll’s acceptance speech, some believe Jelly Roll took a jab at Frank when he made the comment, “I thank God that I can see the forest for the trees.” An idiom that according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means: “to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.”
RELATED: Forrest Frank Slams Award Shows, Says His ‘Trophy’ Is ‘Eternal Life’
“I’m convicted, personally, that a line that I can draw is that I will not receive a trophy for something that is from Jesus and for Jesus, and I was wrestling with this last year,” Frank told his social media followers the day before the Dove Awards. “I feel a conviction to go even a step further and say, ‘I don’t know if I even want to step on the stage—I don’t know if I want to step in the room.’ So I have decided to take a stance of non-participation.”
Frank explained, “The trophy is that my name is listed in the Book of Life, and I get to have eternal life. What good is a piece of metal going to do compared to that?”
In the comment section, Jelly Roll asked Frank:
Won’t receive trophy for something from Jesus for Jesus but will take the profits from something from Jesus for Jesus. Maybe I’m missing something here lol…This is an interesting take—I dig it, how do you think this compares as profiting from the same music .I love that you said ‘I don’t want to get a trophy for something that’s from Jesus for Jesus’ which is awesome—but also make MILLIONS of dollars doing that same thing that is From Jesus for Jesus.
Frank shared that he wasn’t going to respond to Jelly Roll’s comment because he wanted to avoid “any unnecessary drama” but felt inclined to do so after his “conviction” ended up “triggering a lot of people,” leading national news outlets to run the story.
RELATED: ‘Maybe I’m Missing Something’—Jelly Roll Questions Forrest Frank’s Motives for Skipping Award Shows
“All I’m going to say to you, Jelly, is I love this question,” Frank said. “This is the question that kept me from making Christian music for so many years, because I didn’t want to make a business out of worship music. I didn’t want to make a business out of Jesus, and so I actually didn’t participate.”
