Chappell Roan: The splashy pop supernova | Lifestyle.INQ
(FILES) US singer Chappell Roan attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour" in Los Angeles on October 25, 2024. Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop's upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans. Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, with six nominations, including in all four major categories. (Photo by Etienne Laurent / AFP)
Photo by Etienne Laurent/AFP

Chappell Roan has soared to pop’s echelons on a blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans

Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop’s upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans.

Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, with six nominations, including in all four major categories.

Her over-the-top theater kid persona, complete with wildly lavish costumes and high-drama makeup that nods to drag culture, made her an unstoppable force on the festival circuit.

Chappell Roan’s over-the-top theater kid persona, complete with wildly lavish costumes and high-drama makeup that nods to drag culture, made her an unstoppable force on the festival circuit

And since then, the 26-year-old has since been truly inescapable—on TikTok, the radio, streaming, late-night shows, and, eventually, a viral media cycle over her lukewarm support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris that proved, in case anyone doubted it, just how big she’d gotten.

In an industry thirsty for “moments,” it seemed like Roan was a rare bird who appeared out of nowhere.

But she’d actually been hustling for a decade—making music while working odd jobs, handling mental health struggles, and coming into her own.

Midwest princess

(FILES) US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan performs on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop's upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans. Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, with six nominations, including in all four major categories. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan performs on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Sept 11, 2024 | Photo by Timothy A. ClaryAFP

Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on Feb. 19, 1998 in Willard, Missouri, Roan threw herself into the arts while never quite finding her social footing, and grappling with weighty emotions she would eventually learn were symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Her YouTube performances earned attention, and she moved to Los Angeles—but then home again after Atlantic Records dropped her amid the early days of the pandemic that left the music industry reeling.

But before she was cut loose, Roan dropped “Pink Pony Club,” a track that years later would blossom as one of her smash hits.

Dan Nigro, the heavyweight producer who worked with Roan at Atlantic, reconnected with her in 2021, and the years-long build-up to her soaring takeoff began in earnest.

On “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” she delves into themes of sexuality and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat and impressive vocals that one critic characterized as “singing in cursive”

For several scrappy years, she worked odd jobs, amassed followers on TikTok, underwent therapy to treat her unpredictable condition and finished her debut album.

Roan—whose stage name pays homage to her late grandfather Dennis Chappell and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan”—released her bold, vulnerable album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” in 2023 to critical praise.

On it, she delves into themes of sexuality and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat and impressive vocals that one critic characterized as “singing in cursive.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Chappell Roan attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy/AFP (Photo by Neilson Barnard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Chappell Roan attends the 67th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2, 2025 | Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP

Her standalone single “Good Luck, Babe!” and the cheerleader-inspired dance number “Hot to Go!” found enormous audiences.

She thrived on TikTok but Roan wasn’t only magnetic online: it was her extravagant presence onstage —she did New York’s Governors Ball dressed as the Statue of Liberty after arriving in a huge apple bong—that cemented her superstar status.

Growing pains

(FILES) US singer Chappell Roan attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour" in Los Angeles on October 25, 2024. Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop's upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans. Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, with six nominations, including in all four major categories. (Photo by Etienne Laurent / AFP)
Chappell Roan attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour” in Los Angeles on Oct. 25, 2024 | Photo by Etienne Laurent/AFP

Roan’s phenomenal rise has come with a price: She has spoken out about fame’s growing pains that have left her exhausted and at times afraid of aggressive fans.

During a set over the summer, she broke down in tears, telling fans she felt “a little off today” over her career’s breakneck pace.

She says many of her fellow artists have reached out with sympathy, including Elton John—who comically called her from an unidentified number 11 times before she answered and realized it was him, she told Rolling Stone.

“I was telling him I was struggling a lot, and he said, ‘If you need to stop, say stop,'” she said.

Roan, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household, isn’t shy about speaking out on topics from trans rights to supporting the Palestinian cause, but does not want to be pigeon-holed for her progressive politics

Roan, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household, isn’t shy about speaking out on topics from trans rights to supporting the Palestinian cause, but does not want to be pigeon-holed for her progressive politics.

She also has sung of queer love, and eventually came out as a lesbian this past summer.

But, in an industry that finds a marketing angle wherever possible, she insists on “being taken seriously outside of” her queerness.

“Look, I love being gay. I just don’t want to talk about it every second of every day,” Roan told Rolling Stone.

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