This past summer saw one of the most explosive rises to fame with pop singer Chappell Roan. Roan has seen a whirlwind of change in the last few months, from opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour, to attracting the largest Lollapalooza crowd in the festival’s history.
Despite these consecutive career milestones, fans and haters alike have been speculating that her fall may come just as quickly as her skyrocket to stardom.
Roan Sets Boundaries
On August 19, Roan posted a TikTok that sparked controversy on social media. In the video, she describes that someone would never harass a random woman on the street the same way she’s experienced.
She explains, “If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from a car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I get a photo with you?’ And she’s like, ‘No. What the fuck?’ And then you get mad at this random lady.” She ends it by saying, “I’m a random bitch. You’re a random bitch. Just think about that for a second, okay?”
On the same day, she posted an additional video outlining that she doesn’t condone these normalized occurrences. “I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job… that does not make it okay,” she says.
Instagram Update
A few days later, she elaborated on these videos by posting the above seven-slide post on Instagram. She turned the comments off because, as per her caption, “This isn’t a group conversation.” In these slides, she writes, “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you shit.” She then, however, clarifies that these posts have “nothing to do with the gratitude and love I feel for my community, for the people who respect my boundaries, and for the love I feel from every person who lifts me up and has stuck with me to help the project get to where it is now.”
She concludes: “Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my family and friends. Please stop assuming things about me. There is always more to the story. I am scared and tired. And please—don’t call me Kayleigh. I feel more love than I ever have in my life. I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life.”
Some fans have deemed her assertiveness as ungrateful, as many TikToks have surged making fun of and denouncing her behavior. One user tweeted, “everytime i hear about chapel roan she’s complaining about something… like damn girl have u ever try being happy?”
Meanwhile, in a recent Rolling Stone article, Roan revealed that a fan kissed her without permission and her father’s phone number was leaked. These two events sparked her outrage and need to speak up.
“You’re No Fun!”
Roan’s performance several days earlier at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival also caused minimal outcry. One of Roan’s songs, “HOT TO GO!”, features a dance the crowd does during the chorus. In the midst of teaching the dance, Roan chastised, “It’s so weird that VIP thinks they’re so way too cool to do this! You’re not fun!”
Videos of this moment include top comments that read, “What if you just didn’t want to?” or “well it was a festival and not her concert. they probably didn’t even know who she was.” Another reads, “The way this isn’t her concert and she’ll [get] mad that people don’t know it.”
European Tour Cancellations
The short-notice cancellation of the Paris and Amsterdam concerts in the European leg of her tour also sparked outrage among fans. The concert in Berlin was to be rescheduled. It was later revealed, after speculation from fans, that this was due to rehearsals for her upcoming VMAs performance.
According to Roan, tickets for the canceled concerts would be refunded by the method of purchase; those for Berlin would be automatically transferred to the new date.
This brought about backlash from many of her fans who were supposed to be attending these concerts. This was especially true for individuals who had to pay expenses for boarding and transportation. One fan wrote on X, “She had to make sure european fans who bought tickets to her tour before she even became famous knew she ditched them for an award performance she wouldn’t have had the occasion to do if it wasn’t for them.”
Another fan on Instagram said, “I just find it so cringe that you think you’re just allowed to disrespect your fans who spent money on housing and transportation to go see your show just because little miss ma’am preferred to go sing at the vmas? do better!”
The grander conversation centered around the idea that her excuse for canceling seemed insincere. Fans noted that the VMAs are a bigger milestone event than a tour concert. Nevertheless, Chappell Roan put on one of the most talked-about performances of the award show’s night and took home the Moonman for “Best New Artist.”
Roan’s Political Endorsements
Right when it was thought that Chappell Roan may be back on the rise, she quickly found herself yet again in the midst of a controversy related to the upcoming election. Roan told The Guardian that, following the media storm related to Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, she personally would not be endorsing a candidate.
Roan said, “I have so many issues with our government in every way. There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote—vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”
Many fans took issue with this, claiming that this election is not as nuanced as others. Roan, feeling that her words were misconstrued, took to TikTok on Sept. 25 again to defend her position and her claim. She says, “There is nuance to what I say in interviews. And I think it’s important that people use critical thinking. I think it’s important for me to question authority and question world leaders.”
TikTok Update
This caused fans to still criticize her lack of direct favor for one presidential candidate over another. One commenter on a related post said, “She tells us to use critical thinking when she clearly can’t use critical thinking herself.” Another commented, “Everytime she speaks she complains.” This overwhelming negative reaction urged Roan to post another video the next day.
In the video, she says, “Like, obviously, fuck the policies of the right, but also fuck some of the policies of the left. That’s why I can’t endorse. That’s why I can’t, like, put my entire name and my entire project behind one. Because there is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views.”
She proceeds to say, however, that she will be voting for Kamala Harris. To which, one fan commented on another video, “some of yall thought CHAPPELL ROAN was gonna vote for trump???”
All Things Go Festival
Perhaps the final nail in the coffin for Roan, according to some fans, was the day-before cancellation of her performances during this year’s All Things Go Music Festival. Before her pulling out, she was set to perform at the festival on Saturday in New York City, and Sunday in Columbia, Maryland. She took to her Instagram story to write, “I feel pressure to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health. I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. Thank you for understanding.”
Many fans, who were in the midst of traveling for the concert, expressed feeling betrayed by the lack of timely consideration of Roan’s cancellation. One fan commented on one of Roan’s recent Instagram posts, saying, “You can’t just ‘mental health’ your way out of accountability babe.” Another comment reads, “Another cancelled show so glad we flew to New York and wasted time money and energy.”
Roan’s Future
Despite fans’ recent disappointments, Chappell Roan’s career trajectory is nothing short of impressive. With the speed of her rise, it is no wonder that her mental health has been the subject of abuse. Nevertheless, between her unashamed attitude and captivating performances, there is no doubt that she will continue to change the pop industry. Fans have already begun comparisons to icons like Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury, and rightfully so. Hopefully, with a new album on the horizon and more career opportunities to come, Roan will continue to shine on the stage where she belongs.
