From Missouri, US
If you are a fan of Scissor Sisters, Shania Twain, or Carly Rae Jepsen, this would be a great choice for you.
Next, we will be supporting Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” tour in North America.
Chappell Roan is a standout artist in today’s cautious and tasteful pop music scene. Her first album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, is a bold and unapologetically tasteless debut that brings to mind Patsy Cline, 80s Madonna, and the edgier side of RuPaul. On the breakup song Casual, Roan’s poignant hook goes, “Sitting in the passenger seat / And you’re giving me pleasure / Is it just casual now?”
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz was born in the small town of Willard, Missouri in the Ozarks and grew up as a devout churchgoer, attending services three times a week. She was fascinated and shocked by popular music from the late 2000s and early 2010s, including artists like Kesha, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry. Roan was in middle school when the music video for Lady Gaga’s song “Alejandro” was released, and she remembers thinking, “Is this considered porn?”
As she was growing up, she always felt like she didn’t quite fit in and had a strong desire to become famous. She enjoyed watching award shows and even started writing songs as a teenager, inspired by her infatuation with an older Mormon classmate and her belief that she needed to create the ultimate love song.
In her late teen years, she was offered a contract with Atlantic Records after they saw the cover videos she shared on YouTube. She chose her stage name as a tribute to her grandfather, Dennis Chappell, and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan” by Marty Robbins. She began traveling across the United States for writing and recording sessions. She felt like she had hit the jackpot. “At 17, I thought I was going to win a Grammy,” she recalls. “It’s ironic because signing with a label is when the real work begins.”
During her late teenage years and early twenties, Roan focused on development work. In 2020, she moved to Los Angeles and began collaborating with Dan Nigro, who later gained fame for his work with Olivia Rodrigo. This was her first time living in a big city, and she felt a mix of fear and excitement. She recalls feeling nervous while shopping at Trader Joe’s and seeing women in sports bras, which was not accepted in her hometown of Willard. However, she was also thrilled to discover a sense of queer acceptance and freedom in West Hollywood’s well-known gay bars. Growing up, Roan had been taught that being gay was wrong and sinful, but her experience at the gay club showed her the opposite. She describes it as a magical and impactful experience.
Following her initial experience at a homosexual establishment, Roan penned Pink Pony Club, a powerful song with a showtune vibe that has become her signature piece (“It won’t make my mother proud / It will create a stir”). Shortly after its debut, Atlantic Records ended their contract with her, citing disappointment in the song’s performance. Roan returned to her hometown, feeling devastated. “I may have felt like a failure, but I was confident that I wasn’t,” she recalls.
In Willard, she was employed at a drive-thru coffee stand while planning her return to LA. She was able to save up and relocate to the west coast again within 12 months. She had a plan in place, thinking, “I may not have much money, but I will persevere. If I don’t see any progress by the end of the year, it’s a signal that I should go back home.”
In Los Angeles, Roan returned to collaborating with Nigro and joined Amusement, his label under Island Records. The tracks created during this time resulted in Midwest Princess, which has been played millions of times. It’s the type of record – and inspiring journey – that would make the daring pop stars Roan admired as a young girl proud. “If it’s not daring, if it’s not causing controversy, what’s the purpose?” she explains.
Source: theguardian.com
