Chappell Roan: “I’m here to give back all the energy that the queer community has given to me”
Chappell Roan has opened up about being indebted to the queer community, saying that she is “here to give back all the energy that the queer community has given to me.”
In an interview with NME earlier this year, the pop star spoke about her influences in the queer community and how she wants to “give back” some of the “energy” the community gave to her in helping her both to find her identity and inspire her music.
The fast-rising pop star who identifies as a queer woman and is influenced by drag aesthetic, released her debut studio album, ‘The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess’, last September to critical acclaim. In a four-star review, NME described it as “a display of Roan’s bold and brazen pen, where she places searing revelations alongside some deliciously cheeky choruses”.
Since then, she achieved her first UK Number One album almost a year after its release – something Elton John congratulated her on recently.
Adele also praised the musician last week, calling her “absolutely amazing” during her show in Munich on August 14. “Chappell Roan is her name, yes?” Adele said. “I heard a song a little while ago at my birthday, and I loved it, and it was one of my friend’s playlists. And then, I went down a rabbit hole on Monday. All day long.”
She continued: “She is spectacular, and it turns out, she’s not just got one song. She’s got, like, seven fucking brilliant songs. I think she’s absolutely amazing. I’m very excited for her, but my friend also said she’s a bit scared. So, do what you gotta do, baby girl, but you’re phenomenal. Anyway, that’s all I’ve done this week is discover Chappell Roan.”
Speaking about growing up in a strict Christian household and her eventual discovery of the LGBTQ+ community, the musician told NME: “I was raised on Christian rock, but I never identified with it. I felt such a push and pull because I was so curious about pop music but couldn’t identify why I related to it. It was [talking about] a lifestyle I did not live. I was very sheltered and very prude.”
Discovering LA’s queer community, she went on, was a “spiritual” moment for her.
She explained: “I was told this city is demonic and Satanists live here. But when I got to West Hollywood, it opened my eyes [to the fact] that everything I was afraid of wasn’t always true – especially [what I’d been told] about the queer community. Going to gay clubs for the first time, it felt spiritual.”
Speaking of the debt of gratitude she has to the community, she continued: “The queer community is my main fanbase, so my responsibility is to pay it forward by donating a portion of ticket sales and sales in general [to LGBTQ+ charities] and show up at Pride events,” she explained. “Really, I’m here to give back all the energy that the queer community has given to me.”
Currently, the musician is close behind Stormzy and Chase and Status in the UK singles chart, with her single ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ on track to displace their recent collaborative single ‘Backbone’ from the top Number One slot (as per The Official Charts Company).
In the US, Roan’s album is now just one place behind Taylor Swift in the Number Two slot on the Billboard 200. As per Variety, Swift’s album stayed on the top spot thanks to 85,000 equivalent album units, while Roan was close behind with 72,000.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
