Chappell Roan’s rise to fame was no easy feat. According to Vox, she grew up in what could be described as a trailer park in Willard, Missouri with her parents and three younger siblings where she had a deeply conservative childhood. She further talks about her experience growing up in this type of environment with an interview from RollingStone. She explains that she attended church 3 times a week and felt very out of place. After Roan moved to LA, she was exposed to a whole new lifestyle and was challenged with finding her new identity and the message she wanted to spread. She was searching not only for herself but also her place within the music industry. 

She spent the majority of her life chasing success, and her early career was filled with much struggle. CNBC discusses how in August 2020, Atlantic dropped her from their record label, saying her music was underperforming and not bringing in enough money. She moved back home and had to pick up jobs like working as a barista and being a nanny. At this time in her career, many believe that she was being overlooked and underestimated. This was later proven correct because, without any backing from the music industry, Roan slowly began to build her following. Her song “Pink Pony Club” was gaining attention through TikTok and word of mouth. Suddenly, her superstar status was being compared to A-list pop celebrities. She now has a total of 44.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and is arguably one of pop’s quickest and current sensations.

Roan is bringing something back to mainstream pop that we haven’t seen since Gaga’s prime. Fans are enamored by Roan’s performances through her major theatrics, vocals, costumes, and genuine energy. Many people resonate with the themes displayed in her music. Roan inspires the masses and is the type of artist pop fans have been waiting to see top the charts. She is unapologetically herself and encourages others to be the same way. Her presence in the music industry serves as a strong representation for the LGBTQ+ community. Much of her inspiration stems from the art of drag and many of her show openers feature local drag queens. Her song “Pink Pony Club” has become an anthem for many individuals as a metaphor for a place where you feel completely free to be yourself. 

With this sudden rise of fame, Roan has opened up to fans about the struggles she’s been experiencing with this new lifestyle. Her background and childhood could not have prepared her for this type of stardom. In June, during a performance in North Carolina, she stopped her show to talk to her fans about how she had been feeling. This video went viral on TikTok and got fans talking about her mental health and how she is reacting to gaining so much success at such a fast rate. 

She has also opened up about the way fans have been treating her. In an Instagram post from August, she talked about experiencing “predatory behavior.” This post has erupted into an uprising about how it is unfortunately common for female artists to be treated this way. As Roan discussed in her post, these odd behaviors are normalized and excused by being labeled as “fan behavior.” Becoming well-known does not mean that the artist owes fans their attention. Roan has helped bring awareness to this issue we commonly see with celebrities. Her forwardness about fan treatment will help lead to improvements in the industry.

As pop’s newest princess, fans are eagerly waiting to see what her next steps within the music industry will be. She inspires so many and continues to give people an outlet to be themselves and have the confidence to do so.  

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Hi! I’m Kayla Friedman, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.