Berliner Boersenzeitung - Chappell Roan: the splashy pop supernova

EUR -
AED 3.852936
AFN 76.645887
ALL 98.853766
AMD 417.6861
ANG 1.883795
AOA 959.303556
ARS 1106.363929
AUD 1.647159
AWG 1.888188
AZN 1.784205
BAM 1.95293
BBD 2.110498
BDT 127.003335
BGN 1.952892
BHD 0.393914
BIF 3094.992087
BMD 1.048993
BND 1.402412
BOB 7.222385
BRL 6.003965
BSD 1.045244
BTN 90.618812
BWP 14.417535
BYN 3.420707
BYR 20560.267283
BZD 2.099614
CAD 1.486743
CDF 3006.414283
CHF 0.944619
CLF 0.025746
CLP 987.984008
CNY 7.60939
CNH 7.604981
COP 4327.264908
CRC 530.010905
CUC 1.048993
CUP 27.798321
CVE 110.103174
CZK 25.031088
DJF 186.136424
DKK 7.459543
DOP 64.973266
DZD 141.793893
EGP 53.117898
ERN 15.734898
ETB 133.881673
FJD 2.409853
FKP 0.843028
GBP 0.833267
GEL 2.963395
GGP 0.843028
GHS 16.149264
GIP 0.843028
GMD 75.003555
GNF 9036.546131
GTQ 8.06914
GYD 218.68858
HKD 8.162227
HNL 26.647327
HRK 7.579056
HTG 136.76768
HUF 402.121131
IDR 17005.229231
ILS 3.721865
IMP 0.843028
INR 91.003361
IQD 1369.287472
IRR 44149.502657
ISK 147.089683
JEP 0.843028
JMD 165.054262
JOD 0.744259
JPY 158.941358
KES 135.47752
KGS 91.734162
KHR 4184.849264
KMF 491.555806
KPW 944.188379
KRW 1512.186583
KWD 0.323426
KYD 0.87102
KZT 519.676199
LAK 22716.611968
LBP 93601.343631
LKR 308.915967
LRD 208.533505
LSL 19.206771
LTL 3.097404
LVL 0.634526
LYD 5.128462
MAD 10.435462
MDL 19.546272
MGA 4923.669499
MKD 61.439698
MMK 3407.089088
MNT 3630.724907
MOP 8.380083
MRU 41.611048
MUR 48.570019
MVR 16.148412
MWK 1812.301793
MXN 21.298552
MYR 4.646514
MZN 67.035777
NAD 19.206771
NGN 1583.780347
NIO 38.462736
NOK 11.658306
NPR 144.987139
NZD 1.828853
OMR 0.403337
PAB 1.045264
PEN 3.883492
PGK 4.203741
PHP 60.806939
PKR 291.768688
PLN 4.161574
PYG 8235.895187
QAR 3.810599
RON 4.976631
RSD 116.958099
RUB 95.498018
RWF 1466.516608
SAR 3.934355
SBD 8.845862
SCR 15.095216
SDG 630.445361
SEK 11.222057
SGD 1.404717
SHP 0.863937
SLE 23.865079
SLL 21996.869425
SOS 597.310707
SRD 36.94866
STD 21712.041926
SVC 9.145558
SYP 13640.075788
SZL 19.202594
THB 35.343201
TJS 11.409031
TMT 3.671476
TND 3.309536
TOP 2.456851
TRY 38.005214
TTD 7.093574
TWD 34.309382
TZS 2732.627731
UAH 43.494344
UGX 3846.346782
USD 1.048993
UYU 45.403268
UZS 13581.039094
VES 65.030103
VND 26689.010222
VUV 129.721908
WST 2.976381
XAF 654.981844
XAG 0.032737
XAU 0.000363
XCD 2.834957
XDR 0.800308
XOF 654.981844
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.150084
ZAR 19.24549
ZMK 9442.195535
ZMW 29.450714
ZWL 337.775392
  • BCC

    1.0300

    121.63

    +0.85%

  • SCS

    -0.0700

    12.35

    -0.57%

  • GSK

    -0.3800

    36.17

    -1.05%

  • AZN

    -0.8700

    73.58

    -1.18%

  • BTI

    -0.7900

    38.82

    -2.04%

  • CMSD

    0.1872

    23.69

    +0.79%

  • NGG

    -0.5400

    60.73

    -0.89%

  • RIO

    0.0700

    63.36

    +0.11%

  • JRI

    0.0435

    12.83

    +0.34%

  • BCE

    0.1900

    23.82

    +0.8%

  • CMSC

    0.0900

    23.5

    +0.38%

  • RBGPF

    63.5700

    63.57

    +100%

  • BP

    0.5100

    35

    +1.46%

  • VOD

    -0.0700

    8.36

    -0.84%

  • RELX

    -0.8400

    51.07

    -1.64%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    7.84

    +0.26%

Chappell Roan: the splashy pop supernova
Chappell Roan: the splashy pop supernova / Photo: Etienne Laurent - AFP/File

Chappell Roan: the splashy pop supernova

Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop's upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans.

Text size:

Her supersonic ascent has made the musician from Missouri with a waterfall of red curls one of the leading contenders at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, with six nominations, including in all four major categories.

Her over-the-top theater kid persona, complete with wildly lavish costumes and high-drama makeup that nods to drag culture, made her an unstoppable force on the festival circuit.

And since then, the 26-year-old has since been truly inescapable -- on TikTok, the radio, streaming, late-night shows and, eventually, a viral media cycle over her lukewarm support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris that proved, in case anyone doubted it, just how big she'd gotten.

In an industry thirsty for "moments," it seemed like Roan was a rare bird who appeared out of nowhere.

But she'd actually been hustling for a decade -- making music while working odd jobs, handling mental health struggles and coming into her own.

- Midwest Princess -

Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998 in Willard, Missouri, Roan threw herself into the arts while never quite finding her social footing, and grappling with weighty emotions she would eventually learn were symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Her YouTube performances earned attention, and she moved to Los Angeles -- but then home again after Atlantic Records dropped her amid the early days of the pandemic that left the music industry reeling.

But before she was cut loose, Roan dropped "Pink Pony Club," a track that years later would blossom as one of her smash hits.

Dan Nigro, the heavyweight producer who worked with Roan at Atlantic, reconnected with her in 2021, and the years-long build-up to her soaring takeoff began in earnest.

For several scrappy years, she worked odd jobs, amassed followers on TikTok, underwent therapy to treat her unpredictable condition and finished her debut album.

Roan -- whose stage name pays homage to her late grandfather Dennis Chappell and his favorite song, "The Strawberry Roan" -- released her bold, vulnerable album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" in 2023 to critical praise.

On it, she delves into themes of sexuality and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat and impressive vocals that one critic characterized as "singing in cursive."

Her standalone single "Good Luck, Babe!" and the cheerleader-inspired dance number "Hot to Go!" found enormous audiences.

She thrived on TikTok but Roan wasn't only magnetic online: it was her extravagant presence onstage -- she did New York's Governors Ball dressed as the Statue of Liberty after arriving in a huge apple bong -- that cemented her superstar status.

- Growing pains -

Roan's phenomenal rise has come with a price: she has spoken out about fame's growing pains that have left her exhausted and at times afraid of aggressive fans.

During a set over the summer, she broke down in tears, telling fans she felt "a little off today" over her career's breakneck pace.

She says many of her fellow artists have reached out with sympathy, including Elton John -- who comically called her from an unidentified number 11 times before she answered and realized it was him, she told Rolling Stone.

"I was telling him I was struggling a lot, and he said, 'If you need to stop, say stop,'" she said.

Roan, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household, isn't shy about speaking out on topics from trans rights to supporting the Palestinian cause, but does not want to be pigeon-holed for her progressive politics.

She also has sung of queer love, and eventually came out as a lesbian this past summer.

But, in an industry that finds a marketing angle wherever possible, she insists on "being taken seriously outside of" her queerness.

"Look, I love being gay. I just don't want to talk about it every second of every day," Roan told Rolling Stone.

(O.Joost--BBZ)