Chappell Roan, riding the wave of newfound popularity, used her growing platform to make a powerful statement during her set at this year’s Governors Ball, the New York City annual music festival. 

On Sunday, June 9, the viral “Hot to Go!” singer announced her arrival on stage by exiting from a giant apple and dressed in drag as the Statue of Liberty—“the biggest queen of them all,” as Roan artfully put it. Of course, Lady Liberty was pure Roan style: bold makeup, green body paint and wig, crown headpiece, and a skirt that selectively revealed only her backside. 

During her set, Roan recited part of the poem engraved at the Statue of Liberty’s feet. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” she read, in case the audience “had forgotten what’s etched on my pretty little toes.” She continued in her own words, “That means freedom in trans rights, that means freedom in women’s rights…and it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories.” In the midst of her speech, Roan had to pause after becoming emotional. 

White House Invitation

Roan additionally dedicated her song “My Kink Is Karma” to the White House. She explained that she declined an invitation from them to perform there for Pride, in honor of June being Pride Month. “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all,” she said directly into a festival’s broadcast camera. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

New Song

Amidst the seriousness of her set, Roan performed an unreleased song titled “Subway,” her second song to be released this year after her immediate hit, “Good Luck, Babe!” For this song, Roan dressed as an iconic New York City taxi cab, keeping the theme with the public transportation song title. Though there is yet to be a full version released, Roan also played the song at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Despite the lack of professional recording of the song, fans have already taken to making it a TikTok trend. The lyrics, “Well, f*ck this city. I’m movin’ to Saskatchewan,” referring to the rural province in Western Canada, have circulated on the app. People mostly comment on Roan’s ability to say the province correctly. It is yet to be announced when the song will officially be released.

Roan’s Viral Popularity

Roan is not new to viral hits, as her concert dance for her song “Hot to Go!” made waves recently on TikTok, with fans recreating the dance. This set the stage perfectly for the April 5 release of the first single independent of her 2023 debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” “Good Luck, Babe!” quickly became an LGBTQ+ anthem, as the song recounts a potentially lesbian woman in denial of her sexuality.

The explosive growth of Roan’s stardom came almost suddenly, with her songs garnering millions of streams on platforms such as Spotify. The artist now boasts 20.4 million monthly listeners on the platform, a milestone number reached in less than a month. “Good Luck, Babe!” is Roan’s most popular song to date and alone has reached over 179 million streams in two months. Fans have taken to making TikToks showcasing the crowd expansion for her shows, as well.

While fans have praised Roan for adapting to the fame so quickly, Roan recently shared the toll that it has had on her mental health. “I just want to be honest with the crowd,” she began after becoming emotional at her Red Hat Ampitheater performance, “and I just feel a little off today because I think that my career has just kind of gone really fast, and it’s really hard to keep up. So I’m just being honest. I’m just having a hard time today.”

She continued, “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to, like, give you a lesser show. There’s just a lot…” She paused as the crowd cheered their support. “Just thank you for understanding. This is all I’ve ever wanted. It’s just heavy sometimes.”

Career Trajectory

The Missouri-raised singer began the year opening up Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS world tour—for which Roan provided background vocals for “Bad Idea Right?,” “Lacy,” and “Obsessed” on Rodrigo’s album. She then proceeded to play at Coachella on April 12, where she spoke her iconic hype-up, “I’m your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” and gave a performance of “Good Luck, Babe!” reminiscent of 80s icons like Kate Bush or Cyndi Lauper.

While fans’ speculations of Roan becoming the next superstar akin to Lady Gaga have yet to be proven, there is no doubt that Roan’s career is just beginning and will be nothing less than “Casual.”