Chappell Roan does what she wants to do. If she feels her mental health is not where she wants it to be to extend a tour, she won't. She also won't be told what to do or what direction to take with her music. She is in full control, and that is rare for a 26-year-old musical artist who is seemingly just beginning their career.
The trick is that Roan has been a presence in music for a decade now, though. She began by uploading her content to YouTube, building a fanbase from posting covers of songs, and the occasional original tune. She released a number of singles while with Atlantic in 2020, but the label dropped her as sales lagged a bit.
One can assume that Atlantic regrets the move now.
Chappell Roan refuses to censor herself
Still, Roan did not produce a full LP until 2023 when she released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on Amusement Records. The album has sold more than a million copies and reached number two on the Billboard album charts. It reached number one in the UK. The record has also produced more than seven singles, including "Hot to Go!"
She is nominated for six Grammy Awards at next month's ceremony. That includes Best New Artist (even though Roan is not exactly "new), Song of the Year ("Good Luck, Babe!"), and Album of the Year. But she is not without controversy.
At the 2024 MTV Awards, Roan got into a spat with a photographer who she felt was being too aggressive. She has also complained about how some of her fans seem to "stalk" her parents. In a recent interview with the BBC, though, Roan said she is not about to censor herself. She believes her popularity would be even more if she "was OK wearing a muzzle."
Roan said, "I think, actually, I’d be more successful if I was OK wearing a muzzle...I would be way bigger. And I would still be on tour right now...If I can look back and say, ‘I did not crumble under the weight of expectation, and I did not stand for being abused or blackmailed,' at least I stayed true to my heart."
Of course, many fans might prefer for Roan to be outspoken and be herself. She is a unique artist, of course, and the way she handles herself is different as well. If she does "muzzle" herself then she becomes more like any other pop star. That eventually gets boring. Chappell Roan, however, is (and will remain) anything but boring.