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By: Sophie Marquez Berestecky and Elliot Martin
Chappell Roan "Kaleidoscope" image gallery photographed by Ryan Clemens
Chappell Roan has made a big social statement in the last six months. Her life went from being a small pop star to one of the biggest artists nationwide. The crowds she brings to concerts and festivals have been unmatched. Recently, she has called out fans for unacceptable behavior and made countless posts about how this affects her. “Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my family and friends.” A few years ago she was in New York performing with a keyboard and is now considering quitting music altogether. How did she get here?
Chappell Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in a small Missouri town. At age 12, she started learning to play piano. She began releasing cover songs on YouTube as a teen. Drawing inspiration from Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and the melancholy, dark pop era of the 2010s, she released an original song titled “Die Young.” Half a year later, she was signed to Atlantic Records and released her EP School Nights in 2017. Around this time, she also assumed the stage name Chappell Roan after her grandfather Denis Chappell whose favorite song was titled “The Strawberry Roan.” This would be just one of the things that contributed to her funky DIY style.
In 2023, she independently released an album titled The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess after being dropped by her label. Preceding her latest album, she released several singles transitioning from the seriousness of School Nights to a more glittery, synth-pop feel. The album was a coming-of-age queer story documenting the past years of Chappell’s life in a way society had been craving.
Chappell Roan in knight attire photographed by Marianne Bell
Chappell Roan from the "HOT TO GO!" music video
Chappell Roan in clown makeup for a photo shoot
2024 saw the success of her newest single “Good Luck, Babe” which attracted more fans to her latest album. Social media also contributed to the huge and sudden expansion of her fanbase. Her persona is extremely visual as it draws from drag queen culture, which lends itself to photography. Chappell’s pale makeup, rusty red hair, and general avant-garde demeanor are instantly recognizable because of her social media presence and relevance.
Recently, Chappell Roan canceled two of her shows on short notice due to some “scheduling conflicts.” While other artists do this, the response Chappell received by canceling the two shows was hateful. According to a BuzzFeed News article, her apology was labeled as “weak” and “passive-aggressive.” Fans have been attacking her and spreading comments on social media, shaming her for the last-minute cancellations.
There has also been a song titled “Subway” that is officially unreleased. Many people have uploaded it to Spotify and other streaming platforms. Since the recent events of Chappell coming out and confronting fans, many of her listeners are worried about her quitting music. Several articles have been made and have suggested that she is quitting music because of this. Chappell has mentioned that she might be leaving the music industry because the harassment is too much for her. She has been offered many roles in Hollywood productions but she continues to decline them because she doesn’t want to be associated or come close to the movie industry. "The industry is legitimately so scary, and it is so out of my control," said Roan in an interview with Bowen Yang for Interview Magazine. The movie industry has a similar toxic fandom to the music industry and she doesn't want to continue being harassed while doing something she enjoys.
Chappell Roan's sudden and rapid rise to fame speaks to the ever-evolving entertainment industry. In a time when social media has consumed the lives of almost everyone, Chappell is a glittery, pink beacon of sheer and unabashed joy for the future. She has developed an image of someone who is not only relatable to fans, but also messy and human at times. Chappell Roan is a true femininomenon.
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