Bold pop hooks, sex positivity, honest songwriting, and a heavy dose of glitter make up the world of Chappell Roan, the multi-faceted pop artist taking the world by storm. The LA-based singer, songwriter, and performer exploded into stardom with her 2023 debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, a technicolor tale of self-discovery that landed on multiple year-end lists (Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, TIME, more). With her larger-than-life performances surrounding the album, she swiftly built up an impassioned community of listeners, who sell out all her headlining shows in mere hours and scream along to her gutsy anthems. Instead of resting her laurels on fleeting digital moments, she’s intentionally built her own fantastical musical universe—one that celebrates queer expression and honoring your true self—that everyone wants to join in on.
Chappell is now gearing up for another momentous year, which will see her playing her biggest venues yet on The Midwest Princess Tour, an instantly sold-out run of U.S. headlining dates this spring and summer. It follows her exuberant Colbert performance of “Red Wine Supernova,” marking her debut television appearance, as well as a slate of spring shows opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the GUTS tour. Chappell will also bring her electrifying vocals to Coachella for the first time this April, kicking off a slew of festival slots throughout the year, including Hangout, Boston Calling, Governors Ball, Pittsburgh Pride, Bonnaroo, and Hinterland. Her cult following is already buzzing in anticipation for what spectacularly campy outfits Chappell will bring to the stage; after all, this is the girl who wore a pig nose prosthetic to the 2024 Grammys red carpet.
For her own drag-inspired headlining shows, Chappell sets dress themes, asking each city’s attendees to come decked out in their own fabulous get-ups—whether it’s the pink rhinestone cowgirl “Pink Pony Club” theme or the red-and-black “My Kink Is Karma” theme. These audience-favorite prompts ensure that every night turns into a mass celebration where fans can let their freak flag fly. “It feels like a community,” Chappell says of her shows. “You’re allowed and encouraged to dress up crazy, because everyone else will be too.”
A critical smash, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess established Chappell as a breakthrough songwriter who could combine fantasy with heart-bearing self-reflection. Penned by Chappell alongside producer Dan Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo), the project showcases her journey of falling in queer love for the first time, as she embraces all of its messy and imperfect moments. To express the whirlwind ride of her coming-of-age, the LP touches every genre from euphoric dance-pop to introspective acoustic guitar ballads, country-pop and punky new wave.
“With this album, I wanted to prove that women in pop are multi-dimensional,” Chappell says. “It’s important for me to show that I’m not just some sexy pop star, I wallow in pain just as much as the next girl.”
Growing up in Willard, Missouri, Chappell repressed feelings about her sexuality due to her Christian upbringing. Yet she knew from an early age that she wanted to be an entertainer, so she took acting classes as a kid, picked up the piano at age 12, and became known as “the singer girl” in high school. Then at age 16, she released “Die Young,” a brooding folk hit that brought her a major label record deal, leading to her 2017 debut EP, School Nights, and her move to LA in 2018. “Back then, I liked being mysterious and serious,” she says.
Yet Chappell Roan, in all her fabulous glory, truly began to take shape with the 2020 synth-pop smash “Pink Pony Club,” a semi-autobiographical anthem about a small town girl who finds belonging at a West Hollywood go-go bar. Inspired by a visit to an LA gay bar, it was named “song of the summer” by Vulture. Yet soon after, Chappell suddenly found herself an independent artist again. Determined to make it work without a label, she steadily built her audience on her 2022 singles “Naked in Manhattan,” “My Kink Is Karma,” and “Casual,” which were praised for their “high drama and meticulous melody-writing” (LA Times). Ahead of Midwest Princess, she signed with Nigro’s Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records, and continued to forge her career, fueled with the fire of her own creative vision and integrity.
Inspired by everything from Bratz dolls, burlesque, and Hannah Montana, the Chappell Roan universe is now built on all the gaudy, sparkly, fun things that Chappell cherished when she was little. “I’m just trying to honor my inner child who thought she wasn’t worth anything, and prove to her that she actually is a really good person,” she concludes.