Chappell Roan is blowing up this year, from her commanding stage presence to leading the charts. The queer Missouri native, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, started her music career with heavy influence by ’80s synth-pop and early 2000s pop hits. Her debut album, 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, is an example of that “campy” sound.
Roan auditioned for America’s Got Talent at 14 without success. Reflecting on her audition, she said, “I didn’t make it; I had no idea what I was doing.” Determined to make it in the music industry, she began uploading covers to YouTube under the name Kayleigh Rose, drawing attention from various record labels and fellow Queer icon Troye Sivan. After she uploaded her original song “Die Young,” Roan was quickly signed to Atlantic Records. In 2017, her debut EP, School Nights, featured the song.
While signed, the musician adopted the stage name Chappell Roan in honor of her grandfather Dennis K. Chappell, who died of brain cancer in 2016. His favorite song was the 1959 Western song “The Strawberry Roan” by Marty Robbins. She has also expressed dislike for her first name, Kayleigh.
Roan was dropped from the label in 2020 after the release of “Pink Pony Club” due to her poor-performing releases at the time. A few years later, in 2022, Roan released songs independently before releasing her debut album through Island Records in 2023. The album’s commercial breakthrough was helped by Roan’s supporting act spot on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, her performances at music festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and the success of her follow-up single, “Good Luck, Babe!”
Roan’s Style Inspiration
In a 2022 interview, the musician said she bases her aesthetic on what a pop star would have worn when she was a child in the early 2000s. “When I was little, I loved Bratz, the classic Barbie movies, Britney Spears, I was really into fairies and Spy Kids.”
During her recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Roan told the host what inspires her wild outfits while wearing a Black Swan-inspired look reminiscent of early Lady Gaga. Roan is known for her elaborate, avant-garde looks, so naturally, Roan said she and her stylist Genesis Webb pull looks from drag queens, horror movies, burlesque, and theatre.
“I love looking pretty and scary, or pretty and tacky — or just not pretty, I love that, too,” Roan told the host. The artist, who is a 20-something, adds that she doesn’t like to take it seriously. Watch the interview below.
Take a Look Below at 6 of Chappell Roan’s Wildest Outfits
