Singer, dancer, drag queen; Chappell Roan would describe herself as a “Femininomenon” and “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.” Roan used this phrase at Coachella 2024 to describe herself in reference to a similar phrase used by drag queen Sasha Colby, and this isn’t an understatement. 

Artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and even actress Ayo Edebirl have said that they really enjoy Roan’s music, and Sabrina Carpenter even did a cover of ¨Good Luck, Babe!¨ on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

After seven years of trying to rise in the music industry, Chappell Roan became an overnight success in April of this year with the release of her single  ¨Good Luck, Babe!.

The song gives me a late 80s, early 90s, “Modern Love” David Bowie kind of vibe, with a little bit of a Billy Idol vibe to it. The singing however, gives me major early Fiona Apple and Mitski atmosphere if she was more pop and upbeat. I think people were so drawn to “Good Luck. Babe!” over Roan’s other songs was because of her cheerful vocals and the theater kid vibe that it gave off. It feels different from what all the other music artists are putting out right now.

But who is Chappell Roan? And how did she get popular?

Section 1 – Early beginnings

Kayleigh Rose Amustutz was born in Willard, Missouri in 1998, a town with a population of 6,000. Growing up, Roan lived in what she described as a trailer park and went to church 3 times a week. “When I was growing up, I was told being gay was bad and that it was a sin.¨ Roan said in an interview with the Guardian. Later in life after breaking up with her long term boyfriend, Roan realized that she was a lesbian.

Roan’s family and friends found out that she could sing when she was in a middle school talent show. A little while after, Roan started posting covers and original songs on YouTube, and these videos lead to her becoming more well known. By the time Atlantic Records scouted Roan, she had already decided that she didn’t want to go by her name.

The inspiration behind the name “Chappell Roan” comes from Roan’s Grandfather, Dennis Chappell, who passed away in 2016. Roan had gotten her love of music from her grandfather and wanted to honor him. The “Roan” part of her stage name comes from her grandfather’s favorite song “The Strawberry Roan” by Marty Robbins. “The picking of the name was the hardest part. It was the most stressful,” Roan told The Springfield News in 2017.

Section 2 – Early Career

After being scouted by Atlantic Records and signed in 2017, Roan was flying back and forth from Missouri to places like Los Angeles and New York to work on music. While on her trips to Los Angeles and New York, Roan came up with the song “Good Hurt” and a little over a month later Roan released her first EP “School Nights.” 

While signed to Atlantic Records, Roan met Dan Nigro, a record producer who would become famous producing songs like “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo, and “The cut that always bleeds” by Conan Grey, among others. Roan worked with Nigro on “Pink Pony Club”, a song Roan made after going on a trip to Abbey, a gay bar in West Hollywood. Seeing all the different types of people, the environment and the go-go dancers interested Roan.

In 2020, Roan released a song called “California”. In the song, Roan talks about how she wants to be out of California and how she misses Missouri. She feels homesick and disappointed in herself because her music career wasn’t working out. After the release of “California”, an Atlantic Records executive dropped Roan due to her “underperforming career”. Roan told the Guardian that “I felt like a failure, but deep down I knew I wasn’t.” 

Section 3 – Starting over again, the sour tour

After being dropped from Atlantic Records, Roan went back to Willard, Missouri with a plan to get back to Los Angeles. Working at a drive-thru coffee shop and being a babysitter to make some money, Roan gave herself a year to make money and move back to Los Angeles. “I was going to push through; if nothing happened by the end of next year, it’s a sign I need to go back home.”

After just moving back to Los Angeles, Roan was asked to open for Olivia Rodrigo´s first tour “The Sour Tour”. Roan already had a bit of a following before opening for Rodrigo, but after performing on the tour Roan received a lot of popularity. 

In 2023, Roan released her first studio album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”. Originally supposed to be called “Femininomnon” it was changed to fit her story more.

The album didn’t receive that much attention at first, it was considered by some music publications as a “sleeper hit”. Overall, it did not receive that much attention. Even though that was the case, Roan still decided to go on tour, and on September 25, 2023, “The Midwest Princess tour” started in Sacramento, California.

The tour included Pride festivals and concerts, but the venues were small. It wasn’t until April, seven months later, when Roan released “Good Luck, Babe!” that she skyrocketed. Within a few days, ¨Good Luck, Babe!¨ was a hit on TikTok. Many people found her other songs and from that platform, she blew up. Within a week, it had over 3 million views on YouTube and over 80,000 views on TikTok.

Section 4 – Good Luck Babe!

Roan was given bigger venues at the festivities and had to book different venues for her tour. While performing at the Governor’s Ball in New York, Roan dressed up as Lady Liberty. Spray painted a deep green to look like a statue of freedom, Roan had the attention of the crowd at all times.

With her increased fame came other downsides. In August, Roan shared a message to her fans that she felt uncomfortable when they touched her when asking for photos. She understood that with her job, people would come up to her, but she still felt that people were invading her space. ¨I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.¨ Roan said on an Instagram post that is now deleted.

As of September, Roan is still on tour and she’s living her drag queen dream. Now that you’re all caught up on our Midwest Princess, go stream “Good Luck, Babe!” and “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”