Machine Gun Kelly has never defined himself by a single genre, and he’s thankful that the country music community has welcomed him in.
Kelly, 34, closed the People’s Choice Country Awards at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Thursday, September 26, with a solo performance of “Lonely Road,” the song he released as a duet with Jelly Roll in July.
The song was a successful foray into country music for Kelly, who took home the Best Crossover Song award on Thursday for the hit single. MGK spoke with Us Weekly exclusively on the red carpet about his welcome into the country music community.
“I think it’s like the moon or something,” he said. “It’s nice to see someone else come and land on it, you know? I feel like we’ve been used to what the moon looks like for a long time, some new boots stepping on it, putting a different type of footprint in the dirt.”
Kelly credited the country music industry for making him feel accepted for his contributions, compared to other times when he has had to “bust a door open.”
“To be honest, I’m very humbled and very grateful to be welcomed, I was welcomed with open arms,” he said. “So many times in my career I’ve had to bust a door open and they opened the door very kindly for me. I’m going to step in with class and my job is to be a great musician, so I’m going to bring great music in.”
Kelly echoed that sentiment in his acceptance speech, speaking about working with Jelly Roll, who was not present due to a concert he had in Boston the same night.
The two weren’t always so close. They’ve discussed their long-standing feud and how they put their differences aside after what Kelly called a decade “of hating each other.”
“Comparison is the thief of joy. There is enough room on the couch for everybody. We found camaraderie in the chaos,” he said as he accepted the award. “Last year, I was right there, sitting in that seat, watching my boy rock on that stage. And I was like, ‘Man, I hope one day we’re up there.’ And we’re here!”
“Lonely Road” is Kelly and Jelly Roll’s take on John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” They released the video along with the single over the summer, which featured cameos from Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie XO, and Kelly’s fiancé, Megan Fox.
With reporting by Pam Windsor.
