By: Maggie Grazioso
Are you a water sign? From the Midwest? A fan of cunty pop music? Are you gay? Are you a woman? If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, then boy do I have the musical artist for you. Within the past couple of months, a new popstar has emerged and become very popular amongst the girls, gays and theys, and her name is Chappell Roan. Well. Her real name is Kayleigh Rose, which actually matches her Midwest brand quite well. Specifically the way Kayleigh is spelt.
Chappell Roan is a Pisces, singer-songwriter from Missouri, who specializes in an indie runway bubblegum pop vibe (sorry, I’ve been addicted to my Spotify Daylist titles recently.) She has recently gained traction, due to her opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour, and her personal tour following directly after, for her Freshman album, Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess. She has also recently appeared (and SLAYED) on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. I will admit, I was a bit nervous going into the Tiny Desk video, because Chappell’s music is so heavy on the electronic instruments, sound effects, and beats, and Tiny Desk typically doesn’t allow for that. But worry not, gang. This lady is talented to her core. The gals of Gen Z were in need of an Alto pop princess who doesn’t only write the most gut wrenchingly upsetting music (no hate to Lorde and Adele, but I can’t dance and put my makeup on in the mirror to Liability, I just can’t!) Similar to this statement, as a queer woman, it’s refreshing having an artist who’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community, who makes (semi) happy music about being gay and being a girl! We all need some Boygenius in our lives, but it really is special dancing to a song where a girl is singing about making out with another girl.
Ms. Roan is known for her distinctly long and specific song titles like, “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” and her silly yet clever lyrics such as: “So baby lets get freaky, get kinky, let’s make this bed get squeaky.” Chappell’s music fills her fans with a certain type of… Hope? Childlike wonder? That feeling that maybe everything is going to be okay? All of it.
Before her hit album Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess, Chappell released an EP called School Nights with a different record label than the one she’s at now. She mentions in an interview that they dropped her after the EP was released, but she couldn’t blame them, for School Nights wasn’t her best work. She wrote that album while still living in Missouri, and if I know anything about creativity, it stops working when you’re back within the dark, traumatic walls of your childhood home. It wasn’t until after moving to Los Angeles and getting a new record label, where she truly found her voice. Her style. The open-mindedness (gayness) of LA allowed Chappell to create the music she’s been wanting to. And we are so glad that she did! Dive into in the highly effeminate waters of; Chappell Roan #heisrisen. #bathedintheblood
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