Fame that has come so fast it’s dizzying. American singer Chappell Roan has always dreamed of her, yet now she is terrified. For years, she struggled between various brigades and more or less successful singles. Now she’s finally basking in the pop world with songs about lesbian sex or dancing in a gay club to the dismay of her Christian family. On Friday, she was nominated for six Grammy Awards for it.
She appears on stage with bold white make-up, exaggerated eyebrows, bright pink cheeks and sometimes a bold wig. She says that her artistic persona is a drag queen and that she doesn’t understand why a woman can’t do this discipline. But you can also find videos on social networks in which an ordinary, slightly chaotic twenty-six-year-old girl named Kayleigh Amstutz writes down ideas for lyrics in a notepad on her phone. Thanks to that, the fans fell in love with her. She is not afraid to be natural and also a little crazy.
He most often opens up gay themes in his work, in a way that can shock many. In Chappell Roan’s biggest hit of the year so far, Good Luck, Babe! speaks to a woman with whom she had an intimate relationship, but who does not want to admit her homosexuality. In a synthpop song with a sound of the 80s of the last century and high vocals, the musician tells her that “she can kiss a hundred guys in a bar / or take another shot and try to make the feeling go away”, but she still doesn’t do anything about it. The American admits that she also speaks a little to her younger self. She too used to date men and then wake up at night with the terror of being in love with a woman.
A few days ago, Chappell Roan performed the song The Giver on the popular TV show Saturday Night Live. It is tuned to the country style, but the content turns it upside down. While the genre is usually dominated by white men and their compositions reflect the traditional division of roles between men and women, the singer brazenly tells them that women can give each other more sexual satisfaction than a man. ”You country boys always say you know how to treat a woman right. Only another woman knows that. She gets the job done,” she told the cameras before singing the new song.
Her lyrics indicate a social shift since the days of the song I Kissed a Girl. In it, Katy Perry cautiously sang in 2008 that she “kissed a girl just to try”, but at the same time assured listeners that she definitely did not fall in love that night and hoped that her boyfriend would forgive her. Chappell Roan, on the other hand, questions the society’s attitude that considers heterosexual partnerships as “normal”. It tells men that, unlike them, she can bring a woman to orgasm during sex.
The family pretends they don’t know what they’re singing about
All of this is made even more interesting by the fact that Kayleigh Amstutz comes from a small Christian town in the American Midwest. She describes the environment in which she grew up as very conservative. As a child, she went to church three times a week and spent some summers at Christian camps. None of the relatives have a musical background; her parents run a veterinary practice together. She got into music through playing the piano and winning a school talent contest at the age of 13.
As a teenager, she began uploading song covers to YouTube and writing her own. At sixteen, she signed a contract with Atlantic Records and negotiated an option to drop out of high school a year early to pursue a career in music.
“I got signed a year after the Ultraviolence album came out. I’ve been here for so long, so many Lana Del Rey albums have come out in between,” she said with exaggeration about waiting for success to The Face magazine. The record Ultraviolence comes from 2014.
Four years later, Chappell Roan was twenty and went to seek her fortune in Los Angeles, where she was freely exploring her queer identity for the first time. She collaborated with producer Dan Nigre, with whom she wrote the catchy track Pink Pony Club. In it, she tells how she disappointed her parents by visiting gay clubs. “Mommy, I’m just having fun / I belong here,” he sings. But the song was released at the beginning of the covid pandemic, and maybe that’s why it stuck. The label soon broke up with the singer, and Nigro, who produced both albums of another young star, Olivia Rodrigo, stopped having time for her due to the success of her competitor.
So Chappell Roan ended up back with her parents in Willard, Missouri. Over the summer, she worked part-time at a coffee shop and wondered whether to apply to university. But then she decided to try to last one more year in Los Angeles. She allegedly spent him doing other odd jobs and cried through him in bed. however, she managed to sign a contract with the Sony publishing house and renewed her collaboration with Nigre in 2022. A year later, she released her debut album, which could not have been more aptly named – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Chappell Roan’s success was helped by the track Hot To Go! from last year’s debut album. | Video: Island Records
Suddenly, everything happened very quickly. The record was well received by fans and critics alike, and the song Hot To Go! caught on on the TikTok social network thanks to the dance that the musician invented for her. Chappell Roan also attributes her success to therapy, in which she worked with her “inner child”. She realized what her younger self would want – to dress up in different costumes and occasionally sing something a little crazy, like a song inspired by cheerleaders. Since then, her music is said to have become much better.
In Hot To Go! he invites another woman to not be shy and explains that he is also interested in her. “It’s time for dinner,” he sings defiantly. Her grandparents also appear in the video, but according to Chappell Roan, they kind of pretend they don’t know what the lyrics are about. “That’s how it goes in the Midwest. They say I’m dating a girl, but she’s actually like my friend,” she said on the Making The Album podcast. “I think my parents feel that way about my whole project,” she added.
The girls hold each other
Although Olivia Rodrigo “took over” her producer for a while, they are friends and support each other. Chappell Roan recorded vocals for both albums of a more well-known colleague, who in turn invited her as an opening act on two of her tours so far. This made the girl from the Midwest more famous. Since the beginning of this spring, Olivia Rodrigo has opened every performance of The Guts World Tour with her drag show. In addition, she released the single Good Luck, Babe! and this year she quickly became a star.
Perhaps too quickly. She has dreamed of a music career for a long time, but at the same time she finds fame toxic. They say no one but other famous people can understand what she’s going through.
Chappell Roan also attributes his success to therapy. | Photo: Reuters
Today, they talk with great gratitude about female pop stars like Lady Gaga, Lorde or Sabrina Carpenter. They all called her asking if she was okay. “We girls rely on each other,” she told The Face magazine. Now Chappell Roan almost always has to go out in public wearing a wig. She even stopped seeing the therapist who had helped her so much in launching her career. She said she couldn’t help her with the fame-related issues she was dealing with now.
The musician also gained fans by performing directly on social networks. But at the same time, they create the false impression that people know and are friends with their star. That’s how Chappell Roan dealt with several unpleasant situations
But the artist is not afraid to define her boundaries. Instead of embracing the world of show business with all its toxicity, she signaled that if inappropriate fan behavior continued, she might quit music.
“I don’t care that it’s normal, that this crazy behavior is part of the job I chose. It doesn’t mean it’s normal that I want it and that I like it. I don’t care if you think that it’s selfish if I refuse a request for a photo together or a hug,” a visibly upset Chappell Roan said on TikTok.
She also asked fans not to address her on the street when she is not working and not to call her by her real name Kayleigh. Chappell Roan understands his drag persona as a project and compares it to the fictional character of Hannah Montana, which the singer Miley Cyrus dressed up as in the popular series.
Some appreciate this effort to separate private and work life. For example, Hayley Williams from the group Paramore considers her “very brave and necessary”. However, others perceive it as ungratefulness.
Nevertheless, the musician continues to speak publicly about how the show business environment can be unhealthy. “This industry relies on people being overworked, burnt out, sleep deprived. The more unhealthy you are, the more successful you are. Isn’t that crazy?” he asks. But for now, he continues. Megahit Good Luck, Babe! she is now said to be an inspiration for how she would like to continue creating. “I just wrote a song that I liked and put it out. That inspires me a lot, I think: Can I be successful with something that I really like at the same time? That’s crazy.”
Video: Singl Good Luck, Babe! od Chappell Roan
Good Luck Babe! is Chappell Roan’s biggest hit yet. Photo: Ryan Lee Clemens | Video: Island Records
Ot what people expect from me. I care about maintaining my mental health and well-being first and foremost,” she shared in an interview. This statement reflects her commitment to prioritizing her personal life over the pressures of fame.
Chappell Roan’s journey through the music industry has been marked by both triumphs and challenges. With the support of her close circle, including fellow artists who understand the unique struggles of life in the spotlight, she continues to carve out her identity. By openly discussing her experiences, both in her music and in interviews, she is not only pushing boundaries in pop culture but also challenging societal norms regarding sexuality and expression.
Through her art, Chappell Roan invites listeners to embrace their true selves, unafraid of societal expectations. By redefining relationships and sexuality in her songs, she offers representation and support to those who may be struggling to find their voice. In doing so, she creates a space where love, desire, and self-acceptance can flourish, resonating with a diverse audience that craves authenticity in a sometimes superficial industry.
As she moves forward, Chappell Roan aims to maintain a balance between her artistic aspirations and personal well-being. Her refusal to conform to industry standards sets a powerful example for other emerging artists. With her colorful approach to music and life, she stands as a voice for empowerment, reminding all of us that it’s okay to be a little crazy and, more importantly, to be unapologetically ourselves.