Prepare to Be Silly with Chappell Roan’s Debut Album 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess'
Photo by Ryan Clemens
Coming up on the release of her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan sat down with us to chat more about what we can expect from the album, including her inspiration behind music videos and song titles, her personal struggles as an artist, and what fans can look forward to coming to her shows.
Growing up in a small town in Missouri, Roan emphasizes how her music grows with her as she experiences more "outrageous" things in her life. Starting with her 2020 hit, “Pink Pony Club,” Roan teased her journey of moving across states to find belonging in West Hollywood, which speaks to her queerness journey. As she has found her identity in Los Angeles, Chappell has made it clear to fans that they can expect lots of fun and queer representation throughout her music.
She prefaces the album by saying, "Prepare to be silly." "Give it a chance." "Allow yourself to feel silly and have fun." This is perfectly reflected in Chappell’s music videos, such as "HOT TO GO" which portray the vibrant energy of a small-town girl, now a rising popstar in the queer music scene.
I had the opportunity to ask Chappell if she could tell us more about how she came up with titles like "Feminomenon" and "Red Wine Supernova."
She responded, "Feminomenon obviously isn't a real word, but we were bouncing back and forth with the idea of it being a feminine phenomenon and eventually put it all together." "My song titles are essentially clickbait." Holding true to the silly notion, Chappell is catching the attention of fans with new vocabulary while making the album we have all been waiting for to get us up on the dance floor to let loose and have fun.
Photo by Ryan Clemens
Opening up with us, Chappell shares how her next steps in the music industry include figuring out how to deal with all the pressure in a healthy way. She refers to it as "unsustainable energy" because she wants to focus on finding a way to balance it. After a decade of working towards where she is now, she reflects on how everything has come so fast that it has become overwhelming. Entering this new era for Chappell, she calls it a period of adjustment.
Roan has been known to have ecstatically captivating shows with performances with drag queens, which she mentioned: "I am inspired by drag in every aspect from styling, make-up, music videos, and the overall energy of the show." That being said, Chappell has embraced her queerness in a multitude of ways to inspire those in the community to feel safe and belong at her shows. As a long-time fan myself who has been to Chappell's concerts, there is something special about the energy in the room knowing that you are surrounded by a queer community where everyone has their own journey of acceptance and is now standing together to celebrate an artist so dedicated to her art and her fans.
In support of Chappell Roan and her new debut album, be sure to give the album a listen when it comes out on September 22nd and catch her on tour this fall all around the U.S., along with a tour next year with Olivia Rodrigo.
