PSYPOP: A queer open letter to the giver Chappell Roan
PSYPOP is a series analyzing pop culture and media as a reflection of modern american society and the inadequacies of late stage capitalism.
2024 was the year everyone else discovered Chappell Roan. After a decade in music, Roan's "Midwest Princess" tour drew festival audiences that broke crowd records repeatedly. Her Best New Artist win at the 2025 Grammys is the crowning achievement of her biggest year yet.
A rise dubbed "meteoric" by countless journalists doesn't come without atmospheric friction—especially during a u.s. election year. In exchange for her growing fanbase, pundits and culture vultures demanded that the lesbian drag artist endorse a presidential candidate before November.
Hot-and-cold headlines created palpable frustration for Roan by the end of summer. After managing a tour Stevie Nicks called "outrageous" and "as bad as any schedule [Fleetwood Mac] ever did," she canceled her September appearances at All Things Go for her mental health, with support from the event's organizers.
She broke records again at Austin City Limits a week later as festival season and the "Midwest Princess" tour concluded. Still somehow glimmering, Chappell reported from stage at ACL's second weekend that she was close to losing her voice.
As a queer fan, this wasn't how I hoped Chappell Roan's mainstream explosion would go. On the other hand, I'm not surprised at establishment media's response to the most disruptive lesbian pop star to beat the odds in years.