The pop star is opening up about her meteoric rise on the charts and pop radio over the past few months: “My career doesn’t mean anything more now that I have a charting album and song.”
Chappell Roan is opening up about her meteoric rise on the music charts and pop radio.
In Interview magazine, the 26-year-old pop star and drag queen speaks with Saturday Night Live castmember Bowen Yang about her whirlwind summer and making music as a queer artist.
“In the past, honestly, eight weeks, my entire life has changed,” Roan told Yang. “It’s been really emotional because I’m not just singing pop music, it’s automatically political because I’m gay.”
Yang shared some advice with the singer, who told the comedian she appreciated his guidance as she doesn’t know anyone “who’s going through this” and added that being recognized has been the biggest change. “I’ve never given a fuck about the charts or being on the radio, but it’s so crazy how industry people are taking me more seriously than before,” she said.
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The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer added that she’s thinks to herself that she’s been “doing this the whole time, bitch,” saying that chart success is fleeting. “My career doesn’t mean anything more now that I have a charting album and song. If anything, I’m just like, ‘Fuck you guys for not seeing what actually matters,’” she told Yang.
Roan also spoke about her largely queer fan base, joking with Yang that “dang, gay people do care,” and about the rapid ascent of her 2023 album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which continues to rise on the Billboard 200 albums chart. “It exploded within a matter of four weeks,” Roan explained. “All of a sudden I had an album charting that came out in September [2023].”
Roan has pulled in large crowds at festivals throughout the country, despite not being a headliner.
After impressive sets at Coachella and Governors Ball sets, Bonnaroo moved the artist to a larger stage. And at Lollapalooza, Roan performed to what a spokesperson for the festival called the “biggest daytime set we’ve seen.”
Roan credits her success to doing what she wants and not making decisions guided by money. “My career has worked because I’ve done it my way, and I’ve not compromised morals and time,” she says. “I have not succumbed to the pressure.”
Later in the interview, Yang suggested Roan break into acting, which the singer admitted was her initial thought process behind doing music. She has seemingly changed her mind since then, responding to Yang with: “I say this with peace, and love and blessings. Actors are fucking crazy.”
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Roan’s recent single “Good Luck, Babe!” continue to climb the charts, moving into the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 and No. 7 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts this week, respectively. As of last week, Roan’s Midwest Princess tracks “Red Wine Supernova,” “Pink Pony Club, “Casual,” “Femininomenon,” “My Kink Is Karma” and “Hot to Go!” were all charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
