With five songs on the Billboard Hot 100, a Number 1 album on the US iTunes chart and 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Chappell Roan is taking the world by storm and ushering in a new era for woman-powered, drag-inspired pop music. But who is she?
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Chappell Roan was born on February 19, 1998, in Springfield, Willard, a small town in Missouri with a population of under 7000. She grew up in a trailer park with her family and is the oldest of their four children.
She got her stage name, Chappell Roan, from her grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell, who died of brain cancer in 2016. Paired with his favourite song, “The Strawberry Roan” by Curley Fletcher.
The Midwest Princess Tour has arrived at London's O2 Academy Brixton!
So, where did she get her start?
In November 2014, she uploaded “Die Young,” an original song, to YouTube. She wrote the song while at a music and art summer camp, where she met other creative kids for the first time, which she said “changed [her] trajectory forever”.
Determined to pursue music, she travelled around New York for musical showcases, which eventually led to her being signed by Atlantic Records in May 2015 at only 17 years old. She then released her debut EP, School Nights, in 2017. After signing to Atlantic, Chappell was on a roll, opening multiple tours for big-name artists such as Vance Joy, Declan Mckenna, and most famously for Olivia Rodrigo on her GUTS World Tour.
But she didn't receive much popularity until she released her first critically acclaimed single, Pink Pony Club, in April 2020 – a dance-pop single about a small-town southern girl dreaming of dancing at the “Pink Pony drag club” in West Hollywood. The single was met with widespread critical acclaim, and was ranked 3rd by USA Today on their list of the "10 best songs of 2020.” Vulture described it as the Song of Summer 2021".
Despite her success, Atlantic Records dropped her in August 2020 for not being “profitable enough” and Chappell went independent. While out on her own, she released many songs including feminist fan favourite “Femininomenon,” which now has over 45 million streams on Spotify.
In February 2023, Roan embarked on the “Naked in North America Tour,” her debut headlining tour. Each stop on the tour had an outfit theme, with Roan interacting with her fans and making her own matching costumes on every stop.
In May 2023 she signed with Dan Nigro’s Amusement Records, under Island Records. She released her debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” in September 2023 and began her second headlining tour, “The Midwest Princess Tour'' the same month. She has also performed at Coachella, Bonnaroo, The Governors Ball and has done a tiny desk concert for NPR with many more performances on the way.
A recent viral column argued that Taylor is not a role model because she is unmarried and child-free.
What genre is Chappell Roan?
Chappell initially debuted with dark pop but moved away from that in 2020 with Pink Pony Club. Her music is now mostly inspired by 80’s synth-pop/early 00s pop and falls under the indie pop genre.
She is credited as a leader in the current “lesbian pop renaissance”, with her songs celebrating queer and feminist culture and ideologies. Her newest single ‘Good Luck Babe!’ discusses compulsory heterosexuality, or comphet, the theory that “heterosexuality is assumed and enforced upon people by a patriarchal and heteronormative society.”
Simplified: society pressures everyone – especially women and queer women – to act straight and be attracted to men, even if they're not.
Why do we love Chappell Roan?
Alongside giving us the bops we didn't know we needed, Chappell stands on what she says, and stands up for her fans. From her first tour, Chappell provided a platform to local drag queens, booking them for her openers.
She personally donates $1 per ticket sold to the nonprofit For the Gworls – a Black, trans-led collective that “fundraises money to help Black transgender people pay for their rent, gender-affirming surgeries, medicine and doctor's visits, and travel assistance”, and she provided fans with a QR code so that they can donate also. Her most recent tour has since sold out with fans and other celebrities praising her and begging for more dates and bigger venues.
Chappell has also been hugely vocal about issues close to her heart. During her Gov Ball set in NYC, she addressed The White House, which had invited her to perform for them.
“In response to the White House who asked me to perform for pride. We want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that's when I'll come.” She has also made calls to the government and her fans recently for equality, racial equality, women's rights, trans rights and peace in Gaza.
What about her amazing outfits?
Chappell has stated that her looks are inspired by drag costumes, makeup and culture. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon she stated that she also takes inspiration from horror movies, burlesque and theatre. “I love looking pretty and scary. Or, like, pretty and tacky. Or just not pretty. I love that, too.”
She has also said that she thinks of Chappell Roan as her Hannah Montana-esque drag persona, who is more confident and open than herself.
In today's turbulent climate it's not enough for artists to be good at their craft, people care more about artists using their platform to spread love and to speak about what they stand for, and Chappell Roan does exactly that. We cannot wait to see what she does next.
For more from GLAMOUR's Intern, Shaunelle Harrydass-Clark, follow her on Instagram @shcjourno.
Sign up for our newsletter for more daily content straight to your inbox.
