Jelly Roll is allowed to name a baby quokka in Australia – and without further ado chooses the name of a country icon.
Do quokkas like country music? It certainly seems so. US country star Jelly Roll is currently on tour in Australia and met some typically Australian animals there. Among other things, he was allowed to baptize a newborn quokka.
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It was a special moment for the tattooed 46-year-old – after all, quokkas are one of his favorite animals. “I’m about to faint. This could be the best day of my entire life,” the singer said. In the video posted on Instagram, he can be seen holding a wombat, a koala and the quokka in his arms.
Quokka Loretta and “A Coal Miner’s Daughter”
Jelly Roll asked his wife Bunnie XO via FaceTime to help him come up with a name. She suggested, “You need to give her a name that fits country.” The couple ultimately chose Loretta – after country singer Loretta Lynn. And the furry little one received a bit of musical education straight away: Jelly Roll quickly played the baby quokka’s best-known song from its namesake, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, from his cell phone.
The quokka is one of Jelly Roll’s favorite animals, as he previously explained. He even sports a tattoo of the Australian marsupial, which he first showed off on social media in 2021.
“Just be a quokka, high and happy.”
In 2023, Jelly Roll told Taste of Country that he was “enthralled” with this species because they were the “happiest animals in the world.” “They’re always smiling. There are no known predators on their island and they feed on eucalyptus leaves,” he said. “That means they’re always high, which is why they’re always happy.” For him, the animal is a role model: “Whenever I get upset in life, I look at my wrist and think: Just be a quokka, high and happy.”
Jelly Roll is currently on tour in Australia after performing with Post Malone in Europe in August. This is Jelly Roll’s first international tour. Convictions had previously made it more difficult to issue visas. The artist, who turned from gangsta rap to country, is known for hits like “Son of a Sinner,” “Save Me” and “Need a Favour.”