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Chappell Roan
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Chappell Roan
Pop Music Star
b. February 19, 1998
“I think that people just want to be happy and reflect, sing, dance and dress up, and feel free.”
Chappell Roan is a Grammy Award-winning openly lesbian pop sensation. As a singer and songwriter, she tackles themes like heteronormativity, queer acceptance, feminism, and self-love.
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in the conservative town of Willard, Missouri, Roan felt out of place growing up. She was raised in a trailer park and spent summers attending a Christian camp. The church taught that being gay was a sin.
Roan learned to play piano as a child and won her school’s talent show at 13. She first entered the public eye via YouTube with her original song, “Die Young.” It led to a deal with Atlantic Records in 2015 when Roan was only 17. The following year, she adopted her stage name, inspired by her grandfather’s surname, Chappell, and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan.”
Roan released her first single, “Good Hurt,” in 2017, followed by her first EP, “School Nights.” She lived with her parents in Missouri until 2018 when she moved to Los Angeles. There, she found what she longed for: the freedom to live as an openly gay woman. Her breakout single, “Pink Pony Club,” which reflects her journey, would later become an LGBTQ+ anthem.
After releasing several more singles, Atlantic dropped her in 2020. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roan continued to write and produce independently. Then, about a year after its release, “Pink Pony Club” suddenly tapped into the zeitgeist. USA Today rated it No. 3 on the list of “10 best songs of 2020,” and Vulture dubbed it “Song of Summer 2021.”
The belated success of “Pink Pony Club” earned Roan a publishing deal with Sony in 2022. The following year, she began her first headlining tour, “Naked in North America.” She garnered attention for booking drag queens as show openers and encouraging fans to dress however they liked, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Her own fashion choices draw on camp styles popularized by drag performers.
In 2023, Island Records published Roan’s debut solo album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” It became one of the top sellers of the year. In 2024, she opened for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, and her song “Good Luck, Babe!” earned a Top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly thereafter, Billboard ranked her No. 1 on its Artist 100 chart. When she won Best New Artist at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, she dedicated the honor to queer and trans people.
In 2025, Roan was nominated for multiple Grammys and received the award for Best New Artist.
