The Rise and Stall of a Midwest Princess
In what feels like an overnight turn of success, Chappell Roan has already solidified herself as one of the most popular artists of the 21st century, already garnering an appearance on SNL, 4 million TikTok followers, and 44 million monthly Spotify listeners. By June 20th of this year, Chappell’s discography reached 68.36 million streams, due in part to the success of her latest single, “Good Luck, Babe!”.
The Kansas-born singer has created a name for herself with popular videos of her performances, upbeat songs, and campy stage outfits. But, this mass adoration hasn’t always been a part of her career. Roan’s most recent album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, didn’t make the Billboard 200 chart during its initial release in early 2023. Why, then, did it exponentially emerge into the mainstream during the spring of 2024?
The singer opened for Olivia Rodrigo, a popular artist among young adults, for the North American leg of her Guts tour. Following this success, her music became extremely popular on social media apps. It became an anthem, not only for a niche of queer women, but for all young people with internet access.
A few months into this period things started to get rocky. In August, Roan published two videos on TikTok, setting boundaries with her fans and addressing the invasive behavior of the media. She stated that she was simply someone that people online “don’t know” and that it was irrational for fans to stalk, dissect, and bully her. While this seems like a fair assertion, people were not necessarily agreeing with her.
In addition to the TikTok controversy, Roan has faced a significant amount of backlash for canceling events due to mental health concerns. Less than 30 hours before her scheduled performance, she withdrew from the All Things Go Music Festival in both New York City and Maryland. In a statement on her Instagram story, she claimed "I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health.”
The internet has been split–those who support Roan’s decisions and those who simply don’t. As a queer woman, I find the public’s admiration and then quick descent into criticism of Chappell to be particularly unsettling. We’ve somehow progressed and regressed not only our tolerance but appreciation, for female queer music artists in less than half a year.
So, why is it that Chappell is specifically so subjected to harsh public criticism? The reality is that, because of her sapphic identity, she is held to a higher standard that others simply are not. We as a society have glamourized celebrities so heavily that they are no longer expected to be human. They are machines, coded solely for public interest and entertaining the masses. The stakes are even higher for someone who does not fit the standard of what a celebrity should be. For individuals part of marginalized groups, the bar is raised beyond what’s often achievable.
Going from almost unknown to one of the most popular Halloween costumes of the year would take a toll on anyone. While some people online claim that Roan should expect intense behavior, as it “comes with the fame”, I couldn’t disagree more. Just because someone creates something you enjoy doesn’t mean you are entitled to anything from them, much less acceptance of rude behavior. With some Instagram teases of a possible new album and a new song from her SNL performance, I hope that Chappell Roan will only firm her boundaries further as she returns to the public eye.
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