Jelly Roll has "hurt a lot of people" in his life

He told PEOPLE: "I'm rounding third on my amends list, and I think when I get there, I'll feel a little better.

"I was hitting some stone walls with people that wouldn't forgive me and I was like, 'God, maybe this has something to do with the fact [that] I haven't forgiven myself either.'"

Jelly has changed a lot since his teenage years, but he's conscious that his success could still make lots of people feel "mad".

He explained: "The truth is, there was a lot of pain in there. I hurt a lot of people.

"No matter how much I've changed, they still watch and are mad that I'm successful. I understand that. But I'm doing better at letting go of the past and realising that I don't owe that part of me anything."

Jelly is determined to make amends for his past mistakes and has even raised $1 million for charity through pre-orders of his latest album, 'Beautifully Broken'.

The country music star is eager to have a positive impact on society.

He shared: "Philanthropy is the legacy I hope to leave with the music.

"The music will live on its own ... I quit looking at myself as an entertainer. I realised we're here to serve. That's the thought when I write, when I perform, when we go feed the homeless, when we go talk to kids at juvenile [detention centres] or jail - we just want to be a good steward with what we got."