Euphoria Within Authenticity
Leslie Klein | Features Editor
Chappell Roan, up-and-coming pop artist, makes way with her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Although Roan creates her music as if she has been in the Los Angeles spotlight her entire life, she is a small-town girl from Willard, Missouri who felt that her talent was destined for greatness, which encouraged her to move across the country to Los Angeles in 2018.
While Roan is taking the world by storm with her proficient vocals, she is also bringing real-life representation to the LGBTQ+ community. As she persists as a queer popstar, she continues representing through having local drag queens open and perform with her in the various cities she performs in. Roan says, “I am very inspired by drag in every aspect.” She goes on to explain that drag inspires her outfits, makeup, performances and music videos. The name “Chappell” is her chosen drag name while “Kayleigh” is her real name.
Aside from being an iconic performer, she is a down-to-earth and thoughtful individual. “I donate a percentage of every ticket to ‘for the gworls’ which is a black trans charity,” Roan says. As a person who has gone through the experience of being a young queer individual in a town that does not retain much modern culture, Roan understands the hardships that come with it. As she has grown, she has learned to embrace her authentic self. “Wear what makes you feel hot; wear what makes you feel sexy,” Roan says.
She is known for being “gloriously unserious,” shown through the songs she writes such as her hit song, “Hot to Go.” This song is simply about “being a hot person and being a cheerleader,” Roan says.
“Hot to Go” does not only express the simplicity of being attractive, but it is also one of the best representations of her album title, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest princess.” The music video was filmed in Springfield, Missouri, but with eccentric makeup and exuberant outfits. She wanted to bring representation to being a Midwest princess by including settings that combine both of her worlds.
Going into her newly released album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” she is aware that some people are too serious. With that in mind, she wants her audience to “prepare to be silly. Don’t take it so seriously. Give it a chance.” She is a clear representation of the modern queer culture whilst staying true to the unique qualities she holds.
Roan expresses that the production process of her album and live performance are the most exciting parts of her job, and that she writes most of her songs purely for audience participation.
While Roan has performed many of her own shows, she has opened for artists such as Declan McKenna and Fletcher. She also opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the ‘Sour’ tour and will be returning to open for the ‘GUTS’ tour.
With the drop of her new album, Roan has recently announced her ‘Midwest Princess’ tour, in which she will be performing in Birmingham, Alabama in March of 2024. The pricing of her tickets range from $31-$121. Join Roan on her ‘dream tour’ and become a part of the unique energy that she brings to every performance.
Roan is prepared to take over the modern world one song at a time and continues to advocate for queer individuals everywhere. Roan says, “as long as we’re here, we’re here and we’re queer,” which is truly exhibited through her wide range of songs, music videos and performances.
Leslie Klein is the Features Editor at Alice Magazine. She is a Junior at The University of Alabama studying Communication. In the future she is interested in working in a social environment with hopes of continuing her work in magazines.
