Chappell Roan is the People's (Midwest) Princess
Roan's campy persona, vulnerable lyrics and distinct sound is bringing fun back to pop. Mixed with her scrappy success and staunch activism, America may have found its Midwest Princess of Pop.
The feeling I got when I first listened to a Chappell Roan song was a rare, but not unfamiliar, sensation. It’s that sense of “Oh, this is an Artist, and I am fully locked in for the ride.”
In a crowded landscape of pop stars, with several putting out new albums this year, Chappell’s meteoric rise is even more impressive, giving some of the biggest festivals in the country their largest crowds (ex. the absolutely massive Lollapalooza audience after she was moved to the main stage). But behind the seemingly overnight success is an underdog who built her sound over a decade and is finally getting her flowers.
Coming from humble beginnings in Missouri, Chappell (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz), was a young star on the rise, signed to a record label at 17, and moved to Los Angeles to live her dreams. However, after four years she was dropped from her label and forced to move back home, where she worked a drive-thru and as a nanny to save up money to go back to L.A.
She didn’t know if this second go at music was going to work but made her return to L.A. and was eventually signed to Amusement/Island Records in 2023. That initial rejection from her previous label worked in her favor, forcing her to push her boundaries in her music, in her look, and go all in on her self-proclaimed “drag-queen version” of herself that is Chappell Roan.
Her campy costumes, stage presence, and raw authenticity makes the audience connect with her in a way that feels reminiscent of early Lady Gaga (who Chappell has been compared to on multiple occasions) or even Freddy Mercury. Her unique sound and clearly defined point of view are fresh, and a little tongue-in-cheek, while still being incredibly vulnerable. She does club bops, she does ballads, this is a pop girl with range!
Her inspiration pulls heavily from drag queens, and she honors this inspiration and her place within the queer community by consistently touring in politically red states, inviting local drag queens to perform at her shows and when possible, donating proceeds to LGBTQ+ charities. Even as a sharp increase in fans means a bigger budget and more elaborate costumes, like her Miss Piggy-as-the-Statue-of-Liberty-inspired outfit at New York’s Gov Ball, that innate creativity, campiness, and authenticity still shines through in all of Chappell’s work.
I’m firmly planting my flag in Team Chappell for Best New Artist at the Grammys, but I know this is just the beginning of a long career for Chappell Roan. Now if you need me, I’m going to be dancing at the Pink Pony Club.