Chappell Roan has experienced extraordinary success this past year with viral songs and sold-out shows. It is no surprise that she has amassed such a strong following as her larger-than-life performances incorporate theatrical dances and homages to figures such as the Statue of Liberty. There is an element of intrigue around Chappell because she is unafraid of stepping outside the usual path of a pop artist.
For many years I have heard the comment that pop music is generic or too commercialized. If anything has shifted in the past couple of months, I would say it’s increased appreciation of the genre. Not only has Chappell catapulted into fame, but artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo have also topped the charts. The resurgence of interest in the genre likely stems from the artists who are bringing back an era of diverting from predictability.
Chappell’s approach to music is not the only way she has emerged as a nonconformist. In August, she took to TikTok to have a frank conversation with her fans about the intrusive behavior people have shown her. She discussed how stalking and harassment have grown to become expected drawbacks of lives spent in the public eye. Staying true to her self-assured nature, Chappell pushed back on this narrative by explaining how she wholeheartedly rejects this behavior and wants her fans to separate her from her stage persona.
Few artists have broached this topic, likely due to fear of offending followers or estranging themselves from the industry and its norms. Since this has not been an overly investigated topic, the reactions to Chappell’s message were varied. I can see how fans may have felt disappointed in hearing Chappell’s aversion to gestures that artists and fans frequently engage in, such as taking photos. However, Chappell was not talking about fans so much as stalkers, who destroy the fan-celebrity experience for everyone else.
Chappell’s music is probably the biggest contributor to her fans’ sense of perceived closeness to her. Her songs dissect common experiences through stories about coming-of-age perplexities and overcoming heartbreak. Her catalog covers a plethora of topics, and the rawness in which she recounts experiences benefits her music while also allowing fans to relate their own struggles to hers.
All of this serves to promote the closeness that Chappell’s fans feel to her, but this closeness is broken when they cross over the boundary of not recognizing themselves as strangers to her in real life. When an artist accurately encapsulates your emotions, it is hard not to feel a sense of familiarity with them. However, there is a way to still appreciate the relatability of an artist while respecting their very human desire to shield themselves from the spotlight when necessary.