‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ Indeed: Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll Nominated for CMA Award

Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 26: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll perform at the T-Mobile Mane Stage during the 2025 Stagecoach Festival on April 26, 2025 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

By Michaela Gordoni

Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll are officially nominated for a Country Music Association Award for their hit “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”

The song already earned the Song of the Year award at the K-Love Fan Awards this year, Church Leaders reported.

It’s been nominated for a CMA under Musical Event of the Year. Winners will be announced on Nov. 17 during the award show’s live broadcast.

Lake shared a clip of himself holding a guitar as he watched the nominees be announced. When he heard his name he screamed, “Hey! Musical Event of the Year. Jelly Roll. Brandon Lake. We got a nomination!”

“YALL!!! 🤯🤯🤯 What the heck?!! What an honor,” Lake captioned his video. “So thankful to @jellyroll615 for carrying this song with me. Thank you @cma for recognizing what’s happening with this song and collaboration. And to God be all the glory!”

Related: This Inpsiring Story Set to ‘Hard-Fought Hallelujah’ Will Bring You To Tears

Jelly Roll commented, “YEAHHH BUBBAAAA.”

AMERICAN IDOL finalist Breanna Nix said, “As it should! SO good.

Phil Wickham wrote, “LETSSSSS GOOOOOO.”

Later, Lake and Jelly Roll shared a clip of themselves enthusiastically singing the song together.

“Hard Fought Hallelujah is goin to the @cma’s y’all 🤯😭😭😭” Lake captioned it.

“Hard Fought Hallelujah” was certified Platinum this summer with one million streams/sales, The Christian Beat reported

Jelly Roll won a CMA Award in 2023 for New Artist and has four Grammy nominations.

THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie presented the duo’s K-Love Award to Lake earlier this year.

“Jelly’s going to be so pumped. It’s crazy to see what this song has done,” Lake said before Jelly Roll joined them via video call.

“I’ve been praying for a song like this,” Jelly Roll said. “What a beautiful story — from a jail cell to a K-LOVE Fan Award.”

Lake said their collaboration was a “long shot,” adding, “More revival will happen at dinner tables than it will on stages like this. It doesn’t take a platform and a microphone to be a revivalist…Walk across the street, be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Lake also won three other K-Love Awards this year: Worship Song of the Year for “That’s Who I Praise,” Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year, per K-Love.

At the Awards, Brandon shared that if someone had told him at 15 what he’d be doing today, “I would have thought you were a straight up liar. I mean if you would have told me that two years ago I would have told you ‘You’re crazy.’ It’s just an honor.”

Read Next: Jelly Roll Celebrates Reaching ‘Unreal’ Career High

Questions or comments? Please write to us here.

Watch DOT CONNER: WEBTECTIVE: Episodes 1.1-1.6
Quality: – Content: +4

Watch THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
Quality: – Content: +2