Why you should continue to be obsessed over Chappell Roan

This is an appreciation article for Chappell Roan! Ms. Roan has been getting criticism online lately, and I think it's only fair to remind everyone why we fell in love with the pop star in the first place. Chappell Roan will perform at the VMAs, which will air on September 11th. The VMAs will introduce Roan to a new fanbase, skyrocketing her further into fame. So if the recent news about her puts a bad taste in your mouth, please continue to read to learn why you should continue to be obsessed with her.

The Origins of Chappell Roan

Ms. Roan was born on February 19, 1998, in Willard, a small town in Springfield, Missouri. She grew up in a trailer park and is the oldest of her parents' four children. Her parents named her Kayleigh Rose Amstutz. Her grandfather who died of brain cancer in 2016 is the inspiration behind the name "Chappell Roan." "Chappell" comes from his name, Dennis K. Chappell, and "Roan" is from the name of his favorite song, " The Strawberry Roan" by Curly Fletcher.

Although she felt the need to leave Missouri to pursue her music and find herself, Chappell talks fondly about life growing up there. You can see the influences of her Midwestern upbringing in the music. The title of her album is The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess. A song on the album called "California," is about feeling tempted to move back to Missouri while she is having a hard time finding music success in California. The story is summed up in the chorus.

"Come get me out of California /No leaves are brown/ I miss the seasons of Missouri /My dying town/ Thought I'd be cool in California/ I'd make you proud/ To think I almost had it going /But I let you down."

- California by Chappell Roan

In her interview with TIME, Chappell talks about how she loves the fashion and culture of The Midwest. She references the aesthetics of gas stations, trailer parks, and the tacky. You can see these aesthetics in her "HOT TO GO" music video filmed in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri.

In her mini-documentary on YouTube, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," Chappell tells us she wanted to honor where she came from in her music. She didn't feel like she could truly be herself Missouri, but she still felt this need. Once she began to learn that there were queer people like her in her hometown, she felt less separation from her birthplace.

Her Success Was 10 Years in the Making

Ms. Roan seems like an overnight success story, but it couldn't be further from the truth. On Drew Afulo's podcast, The Comment Section, Chappell Roan mentioned hearing people call her an industry plant. This makes her laugh because her career was 10 years in the making.

The first time Chappell Roan performed her music, she was 13 at a middle school talent show. She sang and played piano, performing her arrangement of a Christmas song. Her grandparents talked about how emotional they were during this performance, it was the first time they saw their granddaughter sing.

She started uploading her music to YouTube in her teens. She was getting attention and was realizing that music could be her career and not just a vehicle to becoming an actor. At 17, she was signed to Atlantic Records. She then moved to California to pursue her music.

Under Atlantic Records, she released her first EP, School Nights, in 2017 and the single "Pink Pony Club" in April 2020. The single received critical acclaim, but it wasn't enough to keep her on the label. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the music industry, Chappell couldn't make money from the record, and Atlantic Records dropped her. This caused her to move back to her hometown. For a year she worked at a drive-through while she worked on her music independently. She then got signed by Dan Nigro, who created the Amusement Label. He is the producer who famously works with Olivia Rodrigo. Ms. Roan finally released her album which The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in September 2023.

While this album was released a year ago, Ms. Roan reached heightened fame this summer. While the album didn't reach the charts during the first week it was released, Rise and Fall made the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album charts in April 2024. This is probably due to viral clips of Chappell performing at festivals and Olivia Rodrigo's tour floating around TikTok and Instagram, which put her on more people's radar.

There is a reel of Chappell performing "Pink Pony Club" with just a piano to less than 50 people in July 2021 and then it transitions to a clip of her performing the same song to more than 80,000 people on a huge stage in August 2024. This is a visual example of how her hard work paid off.

Pop Music That's Special

Chappell Roan in interviews often says she is just making pop music, but her pop music is filled with a lot to talk about. Her music incorporates disco, 80's pop, and early 2000s pop music. Her music has been compared to 80s icons like Kate Bush and Cyndi Lauper.

In the Comments Section interview, Roan said creating her recent album has been healing inner child work. She's making music from a place of fun, and it translates to the audience. Chappell's aesthetic celebrates camp and ultra femininity. She's wearing bedazzled costumes and colorful makeup, things her younger self would have loved. This campy aesthetic also comes from her love of drag.

This fun is in the music as well. Her lyrics are punchy and explicit. She's not afraid to be sexual and reveal a naughty side to herself. Her voice has range. She can express pain in a ballad like "Coffee," singing in a low, deep register and clear breathy or airy tone. In her high energy hits like "Femininomenon "and "Good Luck, Babe," she can sing with more power.

Chappell has also used social media to bring fun to her concerts. She has shared the themes for her concerts on her social media, asking fans to wear outfits according to the theme. She also created the "HOT TO GO" dance and shared it on her social media. This has led to moments like the one below, a packed crowd dancing along with her at Lollapalooza 2024 in Chicago.

LGBTQ Pride and Drag

Chappell's album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and her current musical era/aesthetic is inspired by her experience of growing up in the Midwest and the exploration of her queer identity. In her interview with TIME, Chappell talks about how she loves combining queer aesthetics with looks you see at the gas station or other places in rural Midwestern towns. She mentions that people forget that queer people live in these places too and have vibrant communities. It's not just in the big cities like Chicago or New York City. Chappell Roan has mentioned that she was figuring out her queerness during the creation of this album.

The understanding of her persona took a whole new meaning when she met a drag queen named Crayola. Crayola opened for Chappell Roan in London. Crayola saw Chappell in the process of getting ready and Chappell explained to Crayola that she had to get ready like she does. Crayola exclaimed, "Honey, you are a drag queen!" This served as a revelation for Chappell because it helped her find a way to separate her art, Chappell Roan, from her personhood. Chappell has also said that she admires what drag queens do and takes inspiration from them.

Standing Up for Boundaries and Mental Health

Ms. Roan took to TikTok to express her frustration with fans that feel like they have the right to invade her privacy. She begs viewers to think of her as a random person they never met before, and to think about what's the expected way people should behave with strangers. Although Chappell has reached fame, she feels like she has the right to deny fans' access to her and to protect her privacy.

While many people online supported her right to draw boundaries with fans, some people felt like she was alienating her fans and not being grateful to them for her fame. More criticism came her way after she announced cancelling her shows in Paris and Amsterdam, and rescheduling her show in Berlin. A complaint is that people have already paid for their accommodations and many places don't offer refunds. Fans felts like she was being selfish for cancelling these tours.

The star said the cancellation and rescheduling was due to scheduling conflicts. Some suspect she is canceling her shows to make room for VMA rehearsals, but this isn't verified. Very quickly, after a summer filled with praise for Chappell Roan, people have started to feel negative towards her.