THE FALL OF A MIDWEST PRINCESS? NOT QUITE.
BY: ELLA EDWARDS
Imagine starting your music career as a teenager, playing shows and releasing music to a small audience for years, only to be thrown from relative anonymity into super-stardom over the course of a three-day festival. While it sounds thrilling, I could imagine the spike in my blood pressure that might accompany such a rise to fame. Luckily for my heart, I don’t have the musical talent to warrant a fear of mega-popularity. It’s lost on me how anybody could take on the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye, especially when it comes almost out of the blue.
Fame is hard. So, reminiscent of the Britney Army’s 2007 please, leave Chappell alone.
Pop icon Chappell Roan followed this whiplash trajectory into the spotlight, with her fanbase growing exponentially after seminal Coachella performances and a successful run opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts Tour. While the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer has expressed deep gratitude for her listeners’ enthusiasm, she has also asked for fans to be more respectful of her boundaries. “I feel more love than I ever have in my life. I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life,” Roan wrote on Instagram in August.
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Not only has she self-advocated in the face of unwanted attention from overly-passionate supporters, but she recently stood up to a rude photographer at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. In a viral video, after seemingly being told to “shut the fuck up” by a photographer, Roan turns around and claps back directly, saying, “You shut the fuck up! Not me, bitch.”
On top of this “abuse and harassment”, as she described it on TikTok, the internet has been swarmed with backlash surrounding Chappell Roan’s stances on the upcoming presidential election. On September 20th, Roan told Guardian that she “doesn’t feel pressured to endorse [a particular candidate],”.
Social media users who support Vice President Harris’s campaign responded to this with a host of criticisms, particularly noting that former President Trump’s re-election would be harmful for LBGTQ+ issues. The “Pink Pony Club” singer addressed these concerns on TikTok, explaining that she was “questioning both sides” and didn’t agree with the Democratic Party’s “transphobic and completely genocidal views,”.
These ideologies should be no surprise to Chappell Roan fans; back in July, she quote-tweeted the Senate Democrats’s play on her hit song “HOT TO GO!”, which read, “H-O-T-T-O-V-O-T-E”, with the simple message: “war criminals :(.” Still, social media users have been vocal about their disapproval of Roan’s outlook.
Following many negative comments, Roan withdrew from the All Things Go festival, which she was set to perform in on September 28th and 29th in New York City and Columbia, Maryland. “Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it. I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health,” she explained on Instagram.
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This has led to further complaints from fans, who were disappointed that such an iconic star wasn’t going to be present at the festival. Despite many negative reactions, All Things Go issued a statement supporting Chappell Roan and acknowledging the importance of artists’ well-being.
I was lucky to see the Midwest Princess herself at Boston Calling this past May, and it was an absolutely electric performance. It’s completely understandable that fans are feeling let down after buying tickets and anticipating to see Roan’s hits live.
Still, if you really love Chappell Roan, leave her alone. Give her space, in-person and online. She is clearly putting in the work to prevent burnout and keep her mental health afloat so that she can continue performing and putting out music. I know I would love to see more albums and tours from her in the future. If you would as well (who doesn’t?), listen to her when she requests space. All music fanatics have an individual responsibility to work on toxic cultures in the music industry, and allowing singers– even your favorite artist’s favorite artist– to set boundaries is a great place to start.
