Get ready to learn more about “your favourite artist’s favourite artist”
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY SPOTIFY
2024 has been a big year for American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. While she’s garnered a loyal fanbase over the years, this year has seen her fame and popularity catapulted to huge heights. Her songs Good Luck, Babe and Red Wine Supernova are hugely popular both inside and outside the LGBTQIA community. One thing queer and non-queer folk can all agree on right now is that Chappell Roan is THE moment.
If you’ve somehow not yet been blessed enough to be familiar with her artistry, get ready to learn more about the musical sensation. Here are five facts you’ll want to know…
The meaning behind her stage name is…
While she’s known to those in her personal life as Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, we all know and love her onstage persona, Chappell Roan. Her stage name was adopted in honour of her late grandfather, Dennis Chappell as well as his favourite song, Marty Robbins’ The Strawberry Roan.
It’s not been a smooth journey in the music industry
Chappell was signed with Atlantic Records when she was a teen, and she garnered praise from music journalists early on. However, she sadly didn’t immediately become the commercial success that she is today. After releasing a few projects with Atlantic Records the company dropped her. She spent some time working as a production assistant and in a coffee shop to make ends meet.
She’s been open about what it’s like living with mental illness as a musician
Back in 2022, the star posted to Instagram opening up about her bipolar II diagnosis. She wrote: “I’m diagnosed bipolar 2 and it’s been pretty hard to keep it together and release these songs. I’ve been on meds and I was in full swing hypomania when naked in Manhattan released, which I’m out of now. And the weeks leading up to and through the ‘my kink is karma’ release campaign, I’ve been in intensive out patient therapy/ individual therapy 4 days a week and it’s definitely been difficult to balance promoting and being consistently active on social media. I don’t really talk about it much, but it affects me daily and is a pretty big part of my music. I’m in a healthy spot, just wanted to share and I think it’s important to talk about mental health.”
She’s used her platform to speak up in support of trans rights as well as the humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza
She’s previously donated a portion of her show’s proceeds to For the Gworls, an organisation that helps Black trans individuals with rent and gender-affirming healthcare. And she recently showed support for Palestine by reselling friendship bracelets at her concerts with all proceeds going to Gaza relief.
When asked to perform at the White House she turned it down for a powerful reason
While onstage at her Govener’s Ball performance this year, she told the jam-packed crowd that she’s rejected an invitation to perform at the White House for Pride month. She went on to say: “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
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