2024 is Chappell Roan’s year, from her commanding stage presence to leading the charts. The queer Missouri native, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, started her music career with a heavy influence from ’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.
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At 14, Roan auditioned for America’s Got Talent 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.
Behind the Name
While signed, the musician adopted the stage name Chappell Roan (pronounced “Chap-pel Row-an) 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.
She told Vanity Fair that her stage name is a “drag-queen version of me because it’s very larger-than-life. Kind of tacky, not afraid to say really lewd things. The songs are kind of the fairytale version of what happened in real life.”
Roan was dropped from the label in 2020 after the release of “Pink Pony Club” due to her poor-performing releases. 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!”
In a 2022 interview, Roan said she considers her sound as “slumber party pop.” She recalled attending slumber parties and listening to Lady Gaga and Ke$ha with a friend, who would also cry with her to Adele. “I try to capture that feeling of youth, pure bliss, and exploring sexuality,” she said of her music writing.
Chappell is currently on tour, supporting her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.