There is no question that Chappell Roan is becoming one of the most culturally relevant and influential artists of this generation. It almost seems as though her sudden burst into fame came out of nowhere, especially with people claiming that she is an “industry plant”. In the past 6 months alone, she has broken the record for the largest attendance record at the Lollapalooza music festival and has had multiple songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
Roan has been building her career for 10 years. A few years ago, the music she was creating was almost unrecognizable compared to what she is now known for. The elaborate drag outfits were non-existent and the upbeat 80’s-reminiscent pop style was nowhere to be found. Since moving from Missouri to Los Angeles in 2018, she discovered her true sound that resonates with who she really is. This is also when she met with her primary collaborator, Dan Nigro, who is also known for working with pop star Olivia Rodrigo.
Roan was signed to Atlantic Records but then was dropped later on. The label claimed that her music was “underperforming” and disagreed with the new aesthetic she started to craft with her single, “Pink Pony Club”. She ended up moving back to Missouri and worked at a coffee shop before deciding to continue her career in Los Angeles. In 2020, Dan Nigro was working with Olivia Rodrigo on her record-breaking album, Sour. At this time he inspired Roan to continue her career as an independent artist. She then released “Naked In Manhattan”, filming the music video with thrifted clothes on the streets of New York with her friends. This is when she started to expand on the aesthetic she started with “Pink Pony Club”. In 2023, she signed with Dan Nigros’s new record label, Amusement Records.
Roan opened for Olivia Rodrigo during her Guts World Tour and this is when she started to gain a larger audience (though she also opened for Rodrigo during her 2021 Sour Tour). When concluding her run on the Guts World tour, Roan released her latest single, “Good Luck Babe”, which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Since then, her songs “HOT TO GO”, “Casual” and “Pink Pony Club” have also gained recognition. This summer, she even appeared as a guest performer with Rodrigo during her final show in Los Angeles performing Roan’s hit “HOT TO GO” as a duet. A recent accomplishment of hers was winning “Best New Artist” at the 2024 MTV VMAs.
Roan is continuously pushing limits and setting her career up for success by setting boundaries early on with her fans and the general public. “I don’t care that it’s normal. I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it okay. That doesn’t make it normal. Doesn’t mean I want it. Doesn’t mean I like it,” vocalizes Roan. Due to the amount of dedication and effort that she put towards her career, she has an extensive insight into her fame which many fans admire her for.
Chapell Roan inspires many with who she is as a person and how that is reflected in her art. “The one thing that always made her unique though was her stage presence. She knew how to put on a show and it added to the effect of her music. It’s also the fact that she was never afraid to be herself on that stage and she never backed down from expressing herself with her music” says Chappell Roan fan, Christina Condilidis. Roan is such a compelling artist with her empowering persona and unique aesthetic. She inspires many of her fans with every project she pursues.
