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Chappell Roan can’t be stopped

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Chappell Roan can't be stopped
SAN FRANCISCO  —

Oh, the journey of Chappell Roan! From the humble beginnings of a disappointing record deal to the grandeur of Outside Lands, this young artist has truly embodied the spirit of resilience and determination. A year ago, she was just another aspiring pop star eagerly waiting for her big break; today, she’s a red-headed dynamo ruling the charts and festival stages with an infectious energy that’s hard to resist!

What a difference a year makes.

On August 11, 2023, Chappell Roan unveiled “Hot to Go!”, a catchy synth-pop tune reminiscent of the cheerleader’s chant, which she described as being more LGBTQ+ friendly than “Y.M.C.A.” This upbeat single marked her upcoming debut album, with the young artist determined to make a splash following the disheartening termination of a previous record deal.

A year ago to the day, I found myself center stage at the Outside Lands festival on a sunny Sunday afternoon, now known as pop music’s brightest emerging sensation: a fiery redhead resplendent in a shimmering blue majorette outfit, instructing an audience numbering in the tens of thousands on a dance move that seemed surprisingly familiar to them all.

She mentioned that the attire she donned in the video was authentic, referring to it as her “Hot to Go!” ensemble, slightly out of breath under the foggy sky of San Francisco. “It’s really scorching hot,” she exclaimed.

Over the festival season this year, starting with her popular performance at Coachella in April, Roan has consistently attracted huge crowds, as demonstrated by the throng inside Golden Gate Park. This young artist has since left a lasting impression on New York’s Governors Ball, where she made headlines by dressing up as the Statue of Liberty, and Chicago’s Lollapalooza, where she delivered the largest daytime set in the festival’s 30-year history. In a summer filled with disputes about crowd size between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Roan’s festival crowds have far outdone them both.

In recent times, Roan’s tracks have been making quite an impact on the pop scene: This week, her alluring and sparkling album from 2023 titled “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, no less than seven of her songs are currently on the Hot 100 list, with “Good Luck, Babe!” reaching as high as No. 6 since its release a week before Coachella.

Chappell Roan can't be stopped

Roan’s success can be partially attributed to a growing appetite among listeners for music from new or rejuvenated talents, similar to the recent streaming hits by artists such as Shaboozey, Tommy Richman, Benson Boone, Teddy Swims, and Sabrina Carpenter. Interestingly, the latter two have also secured significant performances at Outside Lands.

However, prior to his appearance on stage, a small procession band playing “Hot to Go!” marched its way through the festival area, leaving behind a trail of spectators sporting pink cowboy hats.

Despite the singer’s recent high visibility on social media platforms, the Chappellmania buzz that started before Coachella, where she opened for Olivia Rodrigo, seems to be more about a tangible, in-person experience that fans yearn to be part of.

She remarked on Sunday, “It’s quite peculiar that VIP seems to believe they’re far too elite not to participate in this,” she said, observing that only a handful near the stage were absent from the “Hot to Go!” dance. “Either get involved or I’ll invite you up onstage!”

Roan’s swift creation of a strong community is largely fueled by a post-pandemic yearning for genuine, in-person interactions; however, it is significantly influenced by the fact that she’s the first significant pop star to achieve top stardom openly as a queer individual, rather than someone whose public identity as queer was a key aspect of their celebrity story.

At San Francisco’s event, supporters displayed homemade signs proclaiming “BUTCHES FOR CHAPPELL” and “TWINKS 4 CHAPPELL”, demonstrating the potent influence of identity politics within her fanbase (and adding an extra dose of excitement that made this gathering more entertaining than a political campaign rally).

Instead of focusing on those secondary aspects, Roan’s stage presence is reminiscent of old-school flair: the dramatic eye rolls, kiss-blowing gestures, use of finger guns, and hair tosses. On Sunday, she executed a full split during “After Midnight,” choosing not to rebuke anyone for attempting the same. Her movements were as energetic as ever, yet her vocals in songs like “Femininomenon” and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” from “Midwest Princess” were powerful and precise. These tracks, which she created with her longtime collaborator, producer Dan Nigro, emerged after being dropped by Atlantic Records in 2000 and moving back to small-town Missouri from Los Angeles.

Chappell Roan can't be stopped

Roan, like many others, noticed that the trend in pop music is cyclical. After a decade dominated by artists such as Lorde and Billie Eilish, who are known for their mumbly followers, we seem to be returning to the vibrant and spectacular style of stars from the 2010s, like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. For many of Roan’s songs at Outside Lands, the screen behind her and her band displayed lyrics for the audience to sing along, making it a communal pop concert experience rather than a personal bedroom confession.

Despite this, Roan’s unique ingredient – what could potentially earn her numerous Grammy nominations this fall – is the raw emotional honesty she embeds in her shiny, modern New Wave hits. This emotion shines through in songs like “Casual,” which explores a woman’s struggle to balance the intimacy of a relationship with her partner’s assertion that they aren’t committed, and “Good Luck, Babe!”, where she advises a friend who’s decided to marry a man, warning her that one day she might wake up realizing “you’re no more than his wife.”

Is “Good Luck, Babe!” a song that expresses sorrow, joy, regret, or vengeance? Roan’s performance on Sunday was intense, with her voice being soft yet longing, but tinged with a hint of anger. The lyrics, “You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling,” conveyed an emotional depth that resonated deeply.

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2024-08-13 21:32

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