Chappell Roan is a rising star on the synth-pop scene, and she has already commanded the attention of millions with her unique voice and bold make-up. Months after her career blew up, she made it to number one on the Billboard 100 list, and Top Album Sales charts.
And not just that. Her performance at Lollapalooza 2024 drew a record crowd of 110,000. Recently, she has been in the news for pulling out of the All Things Go Festival stating health-related reasons.
Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998, hails from the small conservative town of Willard, Missouri. Growing up in a close-knit community, Roan’s journey into music began at a young age, influenced by her surroundings yet yearning to explore beyond the town’s traditional values.
Her meteoric rise to stardom is the stuff of dreams. It tells the age-old tale of how determination and perseverance can make it for you if you have the talent for it. Growing up in the midwest in Missouri, she grew up in a conservative family where she wasn’t quite allowed to ‘be herself’.
Not being allowed to wear the clothes she wanted and also having to push her queerness down because of the social norms, left her struggling to accept herself.
Recently, she admitted to being diagnosed with depression and bipolar 2 disorder. “I’m in therapy twice a week. I went to a psychiatrist last week because I was like, I don’t know what’s going on. She diagnosed me with severe depression — which I didn’t think I had because I’m not actually sad. But I have every symptom of someone who’s severely depressed,” she told the Guardian.
She also has had to deal with predatory fans. She spoke of horrifying accounts where she has been subject to stalking, unwanted touching, and even non-consensual kissing by overzealous fans.
Speaking out on her Instagram account, she wrote, “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions, and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you s**t. I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”
To add to her struggles, she was accused of being an ‘industry plant’ for the longest time, which she countered fiercely. She had signed her first deal with Atlantic Records at 17.
Speaking to ‘The Comment Section’ podcast, she said, “What’s so sick is that people are so stupid online, and they’re like, ‘Industry plant! Industry plant! But yeah, in 2020 I ran out of money, moved back in with my parents, worked at a drive-thru, got dropped by my label, broke up with someone I thought I was going to marry … and I was like, ‘I’m gonna do the pop thing.’
Stay strong, Chappell! We love you and want you to keep shining, forever!
