Who is Chappell Roan?
By Lillith Rengstorf
If you’ve been following current pop music, or pop music news, I’m sure you’ve heard the name Chappell Roan. Roan has experienced an unprecedented rise to fame after the release of her breakthrough album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”, opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” world tour, and her stunning performances at Coachella early this year. But who is Chappell Roan?
Chappell Roan is the stage and songwriting alias of Kayleigh Rose Amstutz. She was born and raised in Missouri, which has influenced her music and songwriting. Roan herself has described her music as being about the experiences of a queer teen growing up in the Midwest and the liberation mixed with homesickness that she felt after moving to LA to pursue music. Roan’s music and style, for me at least, have filled a music niche that I didn’t realize I was missing. The singer has said that her campy, high femme, glittery, lesbian pop style has been directly influenced and inspired by drag performers, and this is obvious in the makeup and outfits she wears on stage. From wearing three wigs stacked on top of each other on her NPR Tiny Desk performance, to wearing a bedazzled football uniform on stage at a recent performance on her tour, this influence of drag is obvious.
This glittery, fun outward appearance can hide the depth and emotion of some of Roan’s music. Hidden under fun pop beats, songs like “Casual”, “Good Luck Babe”, and “Pink Pony Club” have a beautiful story, and lyrics that I heavily relate to. As a queer teen growing up in the Midwest, “Pink Pony Club” resonates with me in a very specific way. The narrator of the song describes leaving her hometown and arriving in LA, and her mother’s disapproval of her dancing at “the pink pony club”, which Roan has said is directly inspired by her first experiences at a drag bar in Hollywood. The second to last song on “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” titled “California” is an emotionally charged ballad about homesickness for a place you can’t return to. Once again, as a queer teen growing up in the Midwest, I relate immensely to this song.
While Roan has a number of deep meaningful songs, we can’t leave out the songs that are simply fun, gay, and loud. These songs like “Femininomenon”, “HOT TO GO!”, and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”, are best suited to be shouted out a rolled down car window in the summer. And yet, these songs are beautiful odes to experiencing your sexuality and sapphic desire as something fun and self-expressive. They have also bred an absolutely spectacular social media trend, specifically with the choreographed dance to “HOT TO GO!” that Roan teaches the crowd at her concerts. This dance is essentially like the “YMCA” dance, but you spell out the words “hot to go”. This also includes dance moves along with the lyrics
“h-o-t-t-o-g-o, snap and clap and touch your toes
raise your hands now body roll/dance it out you’re hot to go”
While Roan is currently on tour, and scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago later this summer, I can definitely say that I am eagerly awaiting more music from the up and coming icon.
Sources: Rolling Stone, BBC
About the Author
Lilith Rengstorf is from Northwest Indiana, and recently graduated from Valpo High School. She will be attending Butler University for Biology in the fall. Lilith uses she/they pronouns and has been publicly out as bisexual for around two years. In their free time Lilith enjoys reading, sewing, and knitting.
