The Rise of Chappell Roan: Queer Pop’s Midwestern Princess

Chappell Roan performing live. Photo via Jason Martin on Flickr

Following her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” singer Chappell Roan has seen her popularity take off. However, her journey as a queer artist in the industry has not been a simple path.

Chappell Roan – whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz – is a 26-year-old singer from Missouri. For the singer, Roan is a quasi-drag persona; while Amstutz is a shy girl from a conservative upbringing, Roan is outspoken and fabulously unafraid. This persona is reflected in her makeup and attire: colorful eye shadow, go-go boots and signature long red curls bouncing about her. 

Roan took up the piano at the age of 12. By 16, she had written a ballad called “Die Young,” accompanied by a self-made video. Six months later, she was signed to Atlantic Records, and her “School Nights” EP was released in September 2017.

However, Roan didn’t feel like these melancholy songs were representative of her. She soon moved away from her small town in Missouri to Hollywood and began to discover a life different from what she knew.

When her music lacked place and purpose, Roan found both at the Abbey, the storied West Hollywood gay bar. “I grew up thinking being gay was bad and a sin,” Roan told The Guardian. “I went to the gay club once, and it was so impactful, like magic. It was the opposite of everything I was taught.”

Immediately after this visit, Roan wrote “Pink Pony Club,” a showtune-style empowerment anthem about a girl who moves away to live her life freely. Shortly after its release, Atlantic dropped Roan, feeling the single had underperformed, and she moved back home, heartbroken. “I felt like a failure, but I knew deep down I wasn’t,” said Roan.

She worked a series of odd jobs to support herself but never gave up on her dream of making music. By 2020, Roan seemed to be tapping more into her authenticity as an artist when she began working with Dan Nigro, the songwriter and producer known for his work with Olivia Rodrigo on her breakout LP, “Sour.” Together, they produced singles like “Naked in Manhattan” and “Femininominon”. This was the beginning of a new era for Roan. On September 22, 2023, she released her debut full-length album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” featuring many of the singles that have helped Roan cement her place as a burgeoning pop star over the past few years, as well as some newer numbers. 

“They all are part of the same story that's just been evolving for the past four years, and I just felt like they had to be in there,” Roan told People of her decision to include many of her past singles. “I felt like they were part of the bigger picture, so they needed to be on the record.

Pitchfork called the album “theatrical and wickedly funny, even in the face of emotional indignity.” 

Roan gained increasing recognition for her musical talent, landing a spot as the opener for Olivia Rodrigo on her “GUTS” Tour from February 23 to April 2 and a performance as an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on March 21.

On April 5, Roan released her newest single, "Good Luck, Babe!". She referred to the song as "the first song of the next chapter," alluding to the potential of hearing a new style of sound from the singer.

Described by Billboard as a "well-deserved breakthrough," the song received 7 million streams in its first week, was listed in the Spotify Top 10 and debuted at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Roan is also currently on her “Midwest Princess Tour,” traveling across North America as well as London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Amsterdam.

Her concerts are like no other; rather than a traditional concert experience, she has transformed her shows into extravagant themed parties. Past themes have included “slumber party kissin’,” “goth grunge and glitter,” and “so you wanna be a pop star,” all with their own unique dress codes.

At a time when drag bans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation were at their height, Roan also turned her concerts into opportunities to celebrate drag, featuring queens as her openers. She also donates $1 per ticket sold to For the Gworls, a Black, trans-led nonprofit.

According to Chartmetric, Roan has approximately 7.8 million followers on Spotify, which is growing by half a million in just a month and is anticipated to continue to grow.

The hardest part of the music industry at all levels is getting people to care about your music; Roan has given audiences reasons to care – whether it’s the music, the over-the-top aesthetic, or the inspiring backstory of a woman from Missouri coming to terms with her identity.