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| Chappell Roan: 'I'd be more successful if I wore a muzzle' | Chappell Roan: 'I'd be more successful if I wore a muzzle' |
| (25 days later) | |
| Chappell Roan was speaking to BBC Radio 1 after being named the station's "Sound Of 2025" | Chappell Roan was speaking to BBC Radio 1 after being named the station's "Sound Of 2025" |
| Chappell Roan can't be stopped. | Chappell Roan can't be stopped. |
| Over the last 12 months, the 26-year-old has become the buzziest star in pop. A flamboyant, flame-haired sensation, whose songs are as colourful as they are raw. | Over the last 12 months, the 26-year-old has become the buzziest star in pop. A flamboyant, flame-haired sensation, whose songs are as colourful as they are raw. |
| Her debut album, released to little fanfare in 2023, has just topped the UK charts for a second time. Next week, she's up for six Grammy awards, including best new artist. And BBC Radio 1 have named her their Sound Of 2025. | Her debut album, released to little fanfare in 2023, has just topped the UK charts for a second time. Next week, she's up for six Grammy awards, including best new artist. And BBC Radio 1 have named her their Sound Of 2025. |
| Success has been all the sweeter because her former record label refused to release many of the songs that exploded onto the charts last year. | Success has been all the sweeter because her former record label refused to release many of the songs that exploded onto the charts last year. |
| "They were like, 'This is not gonna work. We don't get it'," Roan tells Radio 1's Jack Saunders. | "They were like, 'This is not gonna work. We don't get it'," Roan tells Radio 1's Jack Saunders. |
| Watch Radio 1’s full interview with Sound Of 2025 winner Chappell Roan. | |
| Reaching pop's A-list isn't just a vindication but a revolution. | Reaching pop's A-list isn't just a vindication but a revolution. |
| The 26-year-old is the first female pop star to achieve mainstream success as an openly queer person, rather than coming out as part of their post-fame narrative. | The 26-year-old is the first female pop star to achieve mainstream success as an openly queer person, rather than coming out as part of their post-fame narrative. |
| On a more personal level, she's finally got the financial security to move into a house of her own, and acquire a rescue cat, named Cherub Lou. | On a more personal level, she's finally got the financial security to move into a house of her own, and acquire a rescue cat, named Cherub Lou. |
| "She's super tiny, her breath smells so bad, and she doesn't have a meow," the singer dotes. | "She's super tiny, her breath smells so bad, and she doesn't have a meow," the singer dotes. |
| If kitten ownership is a benefit of fame, Roan has bristled at the downsides. | If kitten ownership is a benefit of fame, Roan has bristled at the downsides. |
| The star's live shows burst with personality | The star's live shows burst with personality |
| She has spoken out against abusive fans, calling out "creepy behaviour" from people who harass her in airport queues and "stalk" her parents' home. Last September, she went viral for cussing a photographer who'd been shouting abuse at stars on the red carpet of the MTV Awards. | She has spoken out against abusive fans, calling out "creepy behaviour" from people who harass her in airport queues and "stalk" her parents' home. Last September, she went viral for cussing a photographer who'd been shouting abuse at stars on the red carpet of the MTV Awards. |
| "I was looking around, and I was like, 'This is what people are OK with all the time? And I'm supposed to act normal? This is not normal. This is crazy'," she recalls. | "I was looking around, and I was like, 'This is what people are OK with all the time? And I'm supposed to act normal? This is not normal. This is crazy'," she recalls. |
| The incident made headlines. British tabloids called her outburst the "tantrum" of a "spoiled diva". | The incident made headlines. British tabloids called her outburst the "tantrum" of a "spoiled diva". |
| But Roan is unapologetic. | But Roan is unapologetic. |
| "I've been responding that way to disrespect my whole life - but now there are cameras on me, and I also happen to be a pop star, and those things don't match. It's like oil and water." | "I've been responding that way to disrespect my whole life - but now there are cameras on me, and I also happen to be a pop star, and those things don't match. It's like oil and water." |
| Roan says musicians are trained to be obedient. Standing up for yourself is portrayed as whining or ingratitude, and rejecting convention comes at a cost. | Roan says musicians are trained to be obedient. Standing up for yourself is portrayed as whining or ingratitude, and rejecting convention comes at a cost. |
| "I think, actually, I'd be more successful if I was OK wearing a muzzle," she laughs. | "I think, actually, I'd be more successful if I was OK wearing a muzzle," she laughs. |
| "If I were to override more of my basic instincts, where my heart is going, 'Stop, stop, stop, you're not OK', I would be bigger. | "If I were to override more of my basic instincts, where my heart is going, 'Stop, stop, stop, you're not OK', I would be bigger. |
| "I would be way bigger... And I would still be on tour right now." | "I would be way bigger... And I would still be on tour right now." |
| Indeed, Roan rejected the pressure of extending her 2024 tour to protect her physical and mental health. She credits that resolve to her late grandfather. | Indeed, Roan rejected the pressure of extending her 2024 tour to protect her physical and mental health. She credits that resolve to her late grandfather. |
| "There's something he said that I think about in every move I make with my career. There are always options." | "There's something he said that I think about in every move I make with my career. There are always options." |
| "So when someone says, 'Do this concert because you'll never get offered that much money ever again', it's like, who cares? | "So when someone says, 'Do this concert because you'll never get offered that much money ever again', it's like, who cares? |
| "If I don't feel like doing this right now, there are always options. There is not a scarcity of opportunity. I think about that all the time." | "If I don't feel like doing this right now, there are always options. There is not a scarcity of opportunity. I think about that all the time." |
| Roan was raised in Missouri by her mother Kara, a vet, and father Dwight, a nurse | Roan was raised in Missouri by her mother Kara, a vet, and father Dwight, a nurse |
| As fans will know by now, Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz and raised in the Bible Belt town of Willard, Missouri. | As fans will know by now, Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz and raised in the Bible Belt town of Willard, Missouri. |
| The oldest of four children, she aspired to be an actress – but, for a long time, it seemed her future would be in sport. She ran at state-competition level, and almost went to college for cross-country. | The oldest of four children, she aspired to be an actress – but, for a long time, it seemed her future would be in sport. She ran at state-competition level, and almost went to college for cross-country. |
| Then she entered a singing contest at the age of 13 and won. Before long, she'd written her first song, about a crush on a Mormon boy who wasn't allowed to date outside his faith. | Then she entered a singing contest at the age of 13 and won. Before long, she'd written her first song, about a crush on a Mormon boy who wasn't allowed to date outside his faith. |
| She took her stage name as a tribute to her grandfather Dennis K Chappell and his favourite song, a Western ballad called The Strawberry Roan. | |
| "He was very funny and very smart," she recalls. "And I don't think he ever questioned my ability. | "He was very funny and very smart," she recalls. "And I don't think he ever questioned my ability. |
| "A lot of people were like, 'You should go completely country', or, 'You should try Christian music'. And he never told me to do anything. | "A lot of people were like, 'You should go completely country', or, 'You should try Christian music'. And he never told me to do anything. |
| "He was the only person that was like, 'You don't need a plan B. Just do it'." | "He was the only person that was like, 'You don't need a plan B. Just do it'." |
| Drag queen heaven | Drag queen heaven |
| Eventually, one of her compositions, a gothic ballad called Die Young, caught the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed her at the age of just 17. | Eventually, one of her compositions, a gothic ballad called Die Young, caught the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed her at the age of just 17. |
| Moving to LA, she recorded and released her first EP, School Nights, in 2017. It was a solid but unremarkable affair, steeped in the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Lorde. | Moving to LA, she recorded and released her first EP, School Nights, in 2017. It was a solid but unremarkable affair, steeped in the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Lorde. |
| Roan only found a sound of her own when a group of gay friends took her to a drag bar. | Roan only found a sound of her own when a group of gay friends took her to a drag bar. |
| "I walked into that club in West Hollywood and it was like heaven," she told the BBC last year. "It was amazing to see all these people who were happy and confident in their bodies. | "I walked into that club in West Hollywood and it was like heaven," she told the BBC last year. "It was amazing to see all these people who were happy and confident in their bodies. |
| "And the go-go dancers! I was enthralled. I couldn't stop watching them. I was like, 'I have to do that'." | "And the go-go dancers! I was enthralled. I couldn't stop watching them. I was like, 'I have to do that'." |
| She didn't become a dancer, but she did write a song imagining what it would be like to be one and how her mother would react. Roan called it Pink Pony Club after a strip bar in her home town. | |
| "That song changed everything," she says. "It put me in a new category. | "That song changed everything," she says. "It put me in a new category. |
| "I never thought I could actually be a 'pop star girl' and Pink Pony forced me into that." | "I never thought I could actually be a 'pop star girl' and Pink Pony forced me into that." |
| Her label disagreed. They refused to release Pink Pony Club for two years. Shortly after they relented, Roan was dropped in a round of pandemic-era cost-cutting. | Her label disagreed. They refused to release Pink Pony Club for two years. Shortly after they relented, Roan was dropped in a round of pandemic-era cost-cutting. |
| The star had a number of jobs to support her career while she waited for her big break | The star had a number of jobs to support her career while she waited for her big break |
| Bruised but not broken, she went back home and spent the next year serving coffee in a drive-through doughnut shop. | Bruised but not broken, she went back home and spent the next year serving coffee in a drive-through doughnut shop. |
| "It absolutely had a positive impact on me," she says. "You have the knowledge of what it's like to clean a public restroom. That's very important." | "It absolutely had a positive impact on me," she says. "You have the knowledge of what it's like to clean a public restroom. That's very important." |
| The period was transformational in other ways. She saved her earnings, had her heart broken by a person "with pale blue eyes", moved back to Los Angeles, and gave herself a year to make it. | The period was transformational in other ways. She saved her earnings, had her heart broken by a person "with pale blue eyes", moved back to Los Angeles, and gave herself a year to make it. |
| It might have taken a little longer than that, but she hit the ground running. | It might have taken a little longer than that, but she hit the ground running. |
| During her exile, Roan had stayed in touch with her Pink Pony Club co-writer, Daniel Nigro. | During her exile, Roan had stayed in touch with her Pink Pony Club co-writer, Daniel Nigro. |
| He was also working with another up-and-coming singer called Olivia Rodrigo and, when her career took off, Roan got a courtside seat, supporting Rodrigo on tour and providing backing vocals on her second album, Guts. | He was also working with another up-and-coming singer called Olivia Rodrigo and, when her career took off, Roan got a courtside seat, supporting Rodrigo on tour and providing backing vocals on her second album, Guts. |
| More importantly, Nigro used the momentum to sign Roan to his own record label and ensure the release of her debut album in September 2023. | More importantly, Nigro used the momentum to sign Roan to his own record label and ensure the release of her debut album in September 2023. |
| At first, it seemed like Roan's original label had been right. Sales were disappointing and audiences were slow to catch on because her in-your-face queer anthems were out of step with the trend for whispery, confessional pop. | At first, it seemed like Roan's original label had been right. Sales were disappointing and audiences were slow to catch on because her in-your-face queer anthems were out of step with the trend for whispery, confessional pop. |
| But those songs came to life on stage. Big, fun and designed for audience participation, they're taken to new heights by Roan's powerhouse voice and flamboyant stage persona. | But those songs came to life on stage. Big, fun and designed for audience participation, they're taken to new heights by Roan's powerhouse voice and flamboyant stage persona. |
| "A drag queen does not get on stage to calm people down," she says. "A drag queen does not say things to flatter people. A queen makes you blush, you know what I mean? Expect the same energy at my show." | "A drag queen does not get on stage to calm people down," she says. "A drag queen does not say things to flatter people. A queen makes you blush, you know what I mean? Expect the same energy at my show." |
| The star drew a huge audience of (predominantly queer) fans to her Coachella set last April, and viewers at home made the show go viral | The star drew a huge audience of (predominantly queer) fans to her Coachella set last April, and viewers at home made the show go viral |
| Sure enough, it was a live-streamed appearance at last year's Coachella Festival that pushed her into the upper echelons of pop. | Sure enough, it was a live-streamed appearance at last year's Coachella Festival that pushed her into the upper echelons of pop. |
| Dressed in a PVC crop top that declared "Eat Me", she played the packed Gobi tent like a headliner, strutting purposefully across the stage and coaching the audience in the campy choreography for Hot To Go. | Dressed in a PVC crop top that declared "Eat Me", she played the packed Gobi tent like a headliner, strutting purposefully across the stage and coaching the audience in the campy choreography for Hot To Go. |
| Then she stared directly into the camera and dedicated a song to her ex. | Then she stared directly into the camera and dedicated a song to her ex. |
| "Bitch I know you're watching… and all those horrible things happening to you are karma." | "Bitch I know you're watching… and all those horrible things happening to you are karma." |
| The clip went viral and, before long, her career did, too. | The clip went viral and, before long, her career did, too. |
| By the summer, all of her shows had been upgraded. Festivals kept having to move her to bigger stages. When she played Lollapalooza in August, she drew the event's biggest ever daytime crowd. | By the summer, all of her shows had been upgraded. Festivals kept having to move her to bigger stages. When she played Lollapalooza in August, she drew the event's biggest ever daytime crowd. |
| "It just takes a decade," she says. "That's what I tell everyone. 'If you're OK with it taking 10 years, then you're good'." | "It just takes a decade," she says. "That's what I tell everyone. 'If you're OK with it taking 10 years, then you're good'." |
| As fans discovered her debut album, Roan also released a standalone single - a sarcastic slice of synth-pop called Good Luck Babe, which became her breakout hit. | As fans discovered her debut album, Roan also released a standalone single - a sarcastic slice of synth-pop called Good Luck Babe, which became her breakout hit. |
| "I don't even know if I've ever said this in an interview, but it was originally called Good Luck, Jane," she reveals. | "I don't even know if I've ever said this in an interview, but it was originally called Good Luck, Jane," she reveals. |
| "I wanted it to be about me falling in love with my best friend, and then her being like, 'Ha ha ha, I don't like you back, I like boys.' | "I wanted it to be about me falling in love with my best friend, and then her being like, 'Ha ha ha, I don't like you back, I like boys.' |
| "And it was like, 'OK, well, good luck with that, Jane'." | "And it was like, 'OK, well, good luck with that, Jane'." |
| A masterclass in pop storytelling, Good Luck Babe has a proper three-act structure, with a killer pay-off in the middle eight and a chorus you just can't shake. | A masterclass in pop storytelling, Good Luck Babe has a proper three-act structure, with a killer pay-off in the middle eight and a chorus you just can't shake. |
| Still, Roan was shocked by its success. | Still, Roan was shocked by its success. |
| "I just threw it out, like, I don't know what this is going to do – and it carried the whole year!" | "I just threw it out, like, I don't know what this is going to do – and it carried the whole year!" |
| The question, of course, is what the star does next, now that she's the Sound of 2025. | The question, of course, is what the star does next, now that she's the Sound of 2025. |
| She's already previewed two new songs, The Subway and The Giver, in concert – but all she will reveal about a second album is that she's "more reluctant to be sad or dark". | She's already previewed two new songs, The Subway and The Giver, in concert – but all she will reveal about a second album is that she's "more reluctant to be sad or dark". |
| "It feels so good to party," she explains. | "It feels so good to party," she explains. |
| The singer says she is "in retirement" for the first half of 2025, before headlining the Primavera and Reading & Leeds festivals in the summer | The singer says she is "in retirement" for the first half of 2025, before headlining the Primavera and Reading & Leeds festivals in the summer |
| Looking back at the last 12 months, she's philosophical about what it means to be pop's hottest new commodity. | Looking back at the last 12 months, she's philosophical about what it means to be pop's hottest new commodity. |
| "A lot of people think fame is the pinnacle of success, because what more could you possibly want than adoration?" | "A lot of people think fame is the pinnacle of success, because what more could you possibly want than adoration?" |
| Roan does admit that the admiration of strangers is more "addictive" than she'd expected. | Roan does admit that the admiration of strangers is more "addictive" than she'd expected. |
| "Like, I understand why I'm so scared to lose this feeling. | "Like, I understand why I'm so scared to lose this feeling. |
| "It's so scary to think that one day people will not care about you the same way as they do right now - and I think [that idea] lives in women's brains a lot different than men's." | "It's so scary to think that one day people will not care about you the same way as they do right now - and I think [that idea] lives in women's brains a lot different than men's." |
| Ultimately, she decides, success and failure are "out of my control". Instead, she wants to make good choices. | Ultimately, she decides, success and failure are "out of my control". Instead, she wants to make good choices. |
| "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', [then] at least I stayed true to my heart," she says. | "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', [then] at least I stayed true to my heart," she says. |
| "Like I said before, there are always options." | "Like I said before, there are always options." |
| Chappell Roan was named BBC Radio 1's Sound Of 2025, by a panel of more than 180 musicians, critics and music industry experts. | Chappell Roan was named BBC Radio 1's Sound Of 2025, by a panel of more than 180 musicians, critics and music industry experts. |
| The top five, in order, were: | The top five, in order, were: |
| 1) Chappell Roan | 1) Chappell Roan |
| 2) Ezra Collective | 2) Ezra Collective |
| 3) Barry Can't Swim | 3) Barry Can't Swim |
| 4) Myles Smith | 4) Myles Smith |
| 5) English Teacher | 5) English Teacher |