MGK has announced that his new single “Lonely Road” featuring Jelly Roll will be released on July 26.
The song, which may mark MGK’s transition into country, is clearly inspired by John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” an iconic country standard released as a single in 1971 from his fourth studio album “Poems, Prayers & Promises,” with the pair referencing the song’s melody and lyrics.
To give fans a taste of what to expect, the sometimes-rapper, sometimes-rocker released a teaser of the music video on social media with the caption, “Countdown to KellyRoll activated. 🚧 thanks to John Denver for paving the way.” The brief film shows MGK (previously Machine Gun Kelly) slumped over, being arrested on the hood of a police cruiser, before he and Jelly Roll attend a funeral together. Fans may notice that Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie XO appears in the video, and she commented on the Instagram post, writing, “Let’s goooo.”
It’s been two years since MGK released his sixth album, “Mainstream Sellout,” his second consecutive album to top the Billboard 200 after 2020’s “Tickets to My Downfall.” He most recently collaborated with Trippie Redd on the “Genre: Sadboy” EP, which was released in March.
Meanwhile, Jelly Roll is on a tear. He most recently appeared on Eminem’s latest album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce),” and in April won three CMT Music Awards, including best video. He’s now playing a run of festival gigs before launching on his Beautifully Broken tour, which begins in August.