Chappell Roan is one of the biggest rising stars in pop music today, with over 45.5 million monthly Spotify listeners, her 2023 release âThe Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princessâ reaching number one on the charts this summer in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
Over the last 6 months, the singerâs growth has exploded, her April 2024 release of the single âGood Luck, Babe!â reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August, marking her first top ten hit, and her summer of success culminated in the largest Lollapalooza set in the festivalâs history, with over 110,000 people gathered to watch the star perform. Needless to say, her rapid success has come with many opportunities, performing to enraptured crowds all around the world, but the singer recently took to social media to share the less glamourous side of her rise to fame.
On the 19th August, Roan shared two videos to TikTok calling out invasive behaviours of fans, stalking or demanding photos. âI donât care that its normalâ, she said in one video, âItâs weird how people think that you know a person because you see them online and you listen to the art they make ⊠Iâm allowed to say no to creepy behaviour, okay?â. After receiving backlash for this initial video, Roan took to Instagram with a notesapp style post, highlighting further issues and revisiting her initial point, stating âWomen donât owe you shitâ. She goes on to say âI donât agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out â just because theyâre expressing admiration.â
The pop superstarâs outspoken attitude on the subject clearly demonstrates that she is not going to accept behaviours towards celebrities that are so often considered normal, even a part of the job description. This raises an interesting question of what do celebrities really owe to their fans? Do they owe us anything at all? In short, no! Throughout her career Roan has demonstrated a want to keep a separate life from her stage superstar persona, even the artist name âChappell Roanâ being a stage name.
For many stars of similar levels of fame and success, fostering a sense of closeness and connection with fans has long been an integral part of their role. Artists such as Taylor Swift even having invited fans to her house in the past, building a personal or as some may argue âpara-socialâ relationship with fans. Chappell Roan could not be more clear that this is not the path she will take in career. Could this signal the beginning of a new era in celebrity culture, one that emphasizes a distinct separation between artist and audience? Over recent years many celebrities have stepped away from interacting with fans on social media, or removed meet-and-greet options from shows, limiting the interaction between artist and fan that used to be so crucial for an artistâs growth. This signifies that there may be a need to re-evaluate the fan culture that surrounds these superstars, as many celebrities are setting firmer boundaries to protect their and their familyâs own mental health and well-being.
Recently Roan has received even more backlash for her statement that she did not wish to endorse US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, following up with an additional post, reiterating âI donât agree with a lot of what is going on with like policies â like, obviously, f**k the policies of the right, but also f**k some of the policies on the left.â The backlash from these comments seemingly lead to her dropping out of the DC and New York festival âAll Things Goâ, where she shouldâve headlined alongside other stars such as Hozier, Renee Rapp and Conan Gray. This of course left many fans disappointed, but even more concerned for Roan and her wellbeing amid such a media storm against her.
No matter what you think of Chappell Roan, her attitude or politics and the way she practices them, one thing seems clear: she deserves a break. The constant harassment from the media, fans and even other celebrities clearly seems to be taking a toll on the star who has in the past been open about mental health struggles, and the world needs to offer her some grace and she navigates this explosive sudden launch into fame. Roan herself put it best when she said âwomen donât owe you sh*tâ â Chappell Roan owes you nothing simply because you appreciate her art. Give her a break.