Jelly Roll Delivers Emotional Tribute to 'Real Heroes' at Invictus Games: ‘I Am an Overweight Man with a Microphone’

The country music superstar thanked organizers for "letting me bring my form of therapeutic music here tonight to serve those who have served us across the world"

Jelly Roll is expressing his gratitude for military service personnel and veterans at Prince Harry's Invictus Games.

On Feb. 16, the country music superstar performed at the Closing Ceremony for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The "Save Me" singer was announced as a headliner for the closing show in November 2024, joining a lineup alongside Barenaked Ladies and The War and Treaty. The Americana duo comprised starring husband and wife Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter has a special connection to the Invictus mission, as Michael is a U.S. veteran.

Jelly Roll, 40, spoke with emotion as he took the mic and said, "I am honored to stand in front of some of the greatest and strongest people across the entire world tonight. My name is Jason Jelly Roll DeFord and this song is called 'I Am Not Okay,' "

With his hat in hand and the crowd cheering, he shook hands and hugged athletes before taking the stage to perform his Grammy-nominated ballad.

Looking around, he shared a special message with the crowd.

"First of all, I would just like to thank everybody with the Invictus Games for having me here tonight and letting me bring my form of therapeutic music here tonight to serve those who have served us across the world," Jelly Roll said.

"But I want to be clear right now about what’s happening on this stage. I am an overweight man with a microphone. The real heroes are the athletes and the families that are in this building right now, and I want you to know, whenever you go home after these 11 days of adrenaline and you finally sit down and in a few months from now when the world finally comes back around, I want you to know this," he continued. "If you ever hear that voice in your head saying you can’t be anything but great, it’s the voice of a liar!" he exclaimed, launching into his song "Liar."

His rousing performance came on the last day of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler, which kicked off on Feb. 8 with a rocking Opening Ceremony and conclude with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.

Prince Harry, 40, a former captain in the British Army, created the Invictus Games as an international sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick veterans in London in 2014 to embrace the power of sport as a means for healing, and the current cycle in Canada is the Games' seventh iteration.

Related: Prince Harry Reveals His Candid 'Wish' for Invictus Games at 10 Years (Exclusive)

Exclusively speaking to PEOPLE at the Invictus Games, Prince Harry tells PEOPLE that his sincere hope for the competition is that there will no longer be a need for it one day.

"I wish that we could close this down because there wasn’t a need for it, but as long as there’s a need for it, we will keep it going," the Duke of Sussex says. 

"I know the U.K. is looking forward to having the Games back, to where it started, in just over a couple years," he adds, referring to Invictus' next tournament in Birmingham, England, in 2027.

Over 500 athletes from 23 nations traveled to British Columbia to compete in the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler, which were held between the cities of Vancouver and Whistler for a triumphant week of sport, unity and community. Winter sports debuted for the first time at this Invictus, which also took the Games back to a former host country, Canada, for the first time.

"It’s incredible to be back in Canada. Canada couldn’t be more appropriate to host the first Winter Games. Everyone is so excited," Prince Harry tells PEOPLE about the meaningful location.

In the fall, the Duke of Sussex and Jelly Roll teamed up for a hilarious video to announce that the "Need a Favor" singer would perform at the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony. 

The quick skit shared by the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 showed Prince Harry and Jelly Roll (born Jason DeFord) meeting up at celebrity hotspot tattoo parlor East Side Ink in New York City, where the country rocker gave Harry a (faux!) tattoo in a playful negotiation for the star to sing at Invictus. 

"Commitment prince," Jelly Roll said in the silly clip when Harry agreed to the terms of the gig. "This is going to be huge, man."

"Is that your name? Does that say Jelly Roll? You put your name on my neck?!" Harry later said when he saw that the star inked him with "I am Jelly Roll," as inspired by Invictus' "I am" logo.

"I'll see you in Vancouver!" Jelly Roll called as he walked away. "I'll be there, I appreciate you!" 

Though the tattoo spoof was just for fun, Scott Moore, CEO of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, said Prince Harry had a particularly poignant vision for the Closing Ceremony at a briefing during the week.

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"Closing Ceremony will be emotional. I spoke a lot with Prince Harry yesterday on the hill and he shared as great as Opening Ceremony was, Closing Ceremony is important because we want them to know this is just the end of a chapter of their journey, and we need to encourage them to make sure that journey continues," Moore said on Feb. 12.

For more on Prince Harry and the Invictus Games, pick up PEOPLE's latest issue, on newsstands now.