Bronwen K Bradshaw, Arts and Entertainment Editor 

(Image From, A Timeline of Chappell Roan’s Rapid Rise From YouTube Covers to Global Stardom) 

Chappell Roan has taken over in the past year, with thousands of people blaring “Pink Pony Club” in their cars, “Hot To Go” from their headphones, and sparking a “Femininomenon” in pop music. The queer artist has cultivated a large following over a year in stardom.  

Chappell Roan, real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, began her musical career almost 10 years ago by releasing music on YouTube. She, at 16, released her original song “Die Young” to the video platform. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Roan described the song as “the corniest song on Earth.” However, after the release of her song, she began to gain attention and was signed to Atlantic Records. In 2016, she adopted the stage name Chappell Roan as a tribute to her grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell, and her favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan,” by Curley Fletcher.  

In 2017, Roan released her EP School Nights with Atlantic Records and went on tour with singer Vance Joy as his opening act. In 2018, Roan opened for Declan McKenna’s tour, inspiring her to have more fun performing for a large audience.  

In 2018, Roan was introduced to writer-producer Daniel Nigro, by her then-manager, Nick Bobetsky. Roan and Nigro worked together and created the song known around the world, “Pink Pony Club.” However, Roan and Nigro ran into issues with releasing the song because of Atlantic Records’ opinion not to release it. Roan eventually released the song in April 2020. A few months after the release of “Pink Pony Club,” Roan was dropped from Atlantic Records, and Roan’s four-year relationship ended within the same week.  

After losing her record deal, Roan decided to temporarily move back home to Missouri, where she was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and worked as a drive-through coffee employee.  

In 2021, Roan moved back to L.A. to pursue her music career. She reconnected with Nigro and began working as an independent artist, creating the songs eventually titled “Naked In Manhattan,” “Femininomenon,” and “My Kink Is Karma.” Roan began to connect her music to things that inspired her, such as the drag and LGBT community. Roan was hired to open Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” tour, where her music was able to touch a larger audience.  

Being successful as an independent artist, Roan signed with Nigro’s new label, Amusement Records, partnered with Island Records. From February to March 2023, Roan embarked on her first solo tour, “Naked in North America,” selling out all 20 tour dates. Her show opened with performances from local drag queens. 

In an interview with People in 2023, Roan said, “I encourage people to tip the queens; that is redistributing funds within the community there, and also it just gives a platform for the drag queens. Some of these queens have never performed in front of a big crowd, and it’s just fun.” Roan’s performances were adorned with elaborate themes, Roan dressed in extravagant costumes and makeup that were uniquely her.  

Later that same year, Roan finally released her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, almost six years after releasing her EP. The album was a huge success, making the charts on many media platforms one of the best albums released that year.  

In 2024, Roan went on tour again with Olivia Rodrigo in support of Rodrigo’s second album, Guts. According to Billboard, Roan’s “streaming catalog enjoyed a 32% bump during the first weekend of the tour, from 941,000 streams during Feb. 17-18 to 1.24 million streams during Feb. 24-25.” An opener receiving this amount of listenership was almost unheard of then, foreshadowing Roan’s continued success as a great artist. 

In August of that year, Roan released her song “Good Luck, Babe!” a song about unrequited love because their lover cannot embrace their queerness openly. The song has become an anthem for queer youth, charting at #1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Charts five months later.  

In the summer of 2024, Roan performed at Lollapalooza’s New York City’s Governors Ball, painted green and dressed as the Statue of Liberty. Her performance raked in the highest audience volume Lollapalooza had ever seen, even though she was no the headliner for the event.  

Roan received the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in September 2024 and, most recently, the Grammy for Best New Artist on February 2 of this year.  

Roan is independent in every way, with her musical persona, outspoken views on queer identity, and political justice, as well as setting boundaries for fans due to her recent adjustment to becoming famous. Roan breaks the mold on what a pop artist is and means and will continue to do so, as she is set to release her sophomore album later this year.