Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (born February 19, 1998), known professionally asChappell Roan (/ˌtʃæpəlˈroʊn/ⓘCHAP-əlROHN), is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for hercamp anddrag queen-influenced style.[1] Her debutEP,School Nights (2017), was released byAtlantic Records. After years without success, she was dropped from the label in 2020.
Roan has described her hometown and her upbringing asconservative and Christian.[14][15][16] During her childhood, she attended church three times a week and spent some summers at Christian camps.[15][17] In a 2023Variety interview, she said that she struggled with her upbringing and snuck out often: "I just wanted to feel like a good person, but I had this part of me that wanted to escape so bad."[17]
Roan began playing thepiano when she was 10 or 11 years old[18] and began taking lessons at the age of 12.[5] She performed publicly for the first time at age 13, singing "The Christmas Song" at her school's talent show, which she won.[5][19] When she was about 14 years old, she auditioned forAmerica's Got Talent without success.[5] At 14 or 15 years old, she began uploading covers toYouTube, drawing attention from various record labels.[5][20][21] She began songwriting as she entered her teen years, also uploading these to YouTube.[18][21] Along with her online presence, she performed around her hometown andSpringfield, Missouri, from 2012 to 2015.[22] She graduated a year early fromWillard High School.[23][24] Roan described missing many childhood experiences in the "messy" beginning of her music career, including her prom and high school graduation.[8]
In November 2014, Roan uploaded her original song "Die Young" to YouTube under the name Kayleigh Rose.[3][25] She wrote the song while attending summer camp atInterlochen Center for the Arts, which she said "changed my trajectory forever".[26] She subsequently traveled to New York for several musical showcases, leading to her signing with music labelAtlantic Records in May 2015.[27][28] In 2016, she adopted the stage name Chappell Roan in honor of her grandfather Dennis K. Chappell, who died ofbrain cancer that same year.[9][5] The name is a combination of her grandfather's last name and a word taken from his favorite song, "The Strawberry Roan" byCurley Fletcher.[8][9] She has also expressed dislike for her birth name.[9]
On August 3, 2017, Roan released her first single, "Good Hurt". The song was reviewed favorably inInterview, which praised her "striking maturity and surprisingly deep vocals".[5][29] On September 22, 2017, she released anextended play (EP) titledSchool Nights through Atlantic Records.[27] Also in 2017, she supportedVance Joy on hisLay It On Me Tour.[30] During this time, Roan lived with her parents in Springfield, Missouri, flying with them toLos Angeles orNew York City when necessary. In 2018, Roan moved to Los Angeles.[3][31] She has since stated this was the first time she felt able to live openly as a queer woman,[8] and she felt "overwhelmed with complete love and acceptance", allowing her to begin "writing songs as the real [her]".[14] From January to March 2018, she toured the United States withDeclan McKenna.[20]
Roan performing at the Vogue Theatre in 2022
Roan began working with songwriter and producerDan Nigro in late 2018.[32] In April 2020, Roan released "Pink Pony Club", which she has described as a "hard left turn" fromSchool Nights.[33] The single was produced by Nigro, and its music video was directed by Griffin Stoddard.[3][31] Roan has cited a visit toThe Abbey, a gay bar inWest Hollywood, as the inspiration for the song.[31][34] She said the song expressed her desire to become ago-go dancer in Los Angeles, stating, "truthfully, I'm not confident enough to do that, so I wrote a song about it."[9]
Roan released two more singles, "Love Me Anyway" and "California", in May 2020.[35][36] However, her releases were not profitable enough for Atlantic, who dropped Roan from the label in August 2020.[8][37] Shortly after, Roan returned to Los Angeles in October 2020 to continue working on her music independently while working a series of odd jobs, including as a production assistant and in a donut shop.[8][17] That December,USA Today ranked "Pink Pony Club" third on a list of the "10 best songs of 2020"; an accompanying description characterized it asdance-pop that "earnestly [celebrates] queer culture, acceptance and chasing your dreams".[38] A year after its release,Vulture described "Pink Pony Club" as "the Song of Summer 2021", calling it a "synthy infectious bangarang".[3] By August 2022[update], the song had been streamed more than 10 million times onSpotify.[9] In early 2021, the success ofOlivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" shifted Nigro's focus from Roan as he worked onSour with Rodrigo. Roan was unable to find a collaborator whom she liked as much.[8] She briefly moved back to Missouri and worked at a drive-through while continuing to work on her music independently.[39]
By March 2022, Roan had earned a publishing deal withSony and reunited with Nigro to create and release "Naked in Manhattan", her first release as an independent artist.[40][41] It was described byNPR as a "queer girl bop" with lyrics that are "tender, nostalgic" and "flirty yet uncertain".[42] While working with Nigro in an adjacent studio toOlivia Rodrigo, Roan recorded backing vocals on three of Rodrigo's songs, including "Can't Catch Me Now".[43][44] Roan was selected as one of the opening acts on Rodrigo'sSour Tour[8][45][46] and forFletcher on her Girl of My Dreams Tour.[46]
In August 2022, she released a third independent single, "Femininomenon".Earmilk described the song as "so fun and loud but so intricate" and noted it was different from Roan's past releases.[47] Roan stated that the song, which was produced by Nigro, was an attempt to "get away with being as ridiculous as I possibly can".[47] An accompanying self-directed music video featured Roan riding a dirt bike.[47]
2023–present: Breakthrough withThe Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
In February 2023, Roan embarked on theNaked in North America Tour, her debut headlining tour.[48][27] Each stop on the tour had a theme, with Roan suggesting outfits for fans while making her owncamp costumes herself.[46][8] Inspired byOrville Peck, Roan chose to book drag queens as openers for the tour.[40] Concerts from the tour received positive reviews inThe Harvard Crimson[46] andVariety, with Jem Aswad describing it as a concert where "you recognize when a new-ish artist's career is about to blast off" similar toLorde in 2013 andBillie Eilish in 2019.[32]
In March 2023, Roan released "Casual", which she had begun working on with Nigro in 2020. The song, produced by Nigro, criticizes a romantic partner who refuses to commit and was inspired by Roan's brief relationship during theCOVID-19 pandemic that ended with her partner saying they had met someone else.[8] That same month, Roan signed with Amusement Records, an imprint ofIsland Records and owned by her producer, Nigro, after meeting with nine labels.[49] Later that year, she released the singles "Kaleidoscope", "Red Wine Supernova" and "Hot to Go!".[32][50][8]
On September 22, 2023, Roan released her debut full-length album,The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,[51] and began her second headlining tour,the Midwest Princess Tour. The tour, ending in the spring of 2024, traveled across North America and had shows in London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Amsterdam.[52] Roan donated $1 per ticket sold to the nonprofit For the Gworls[53][54][17] and opened each show with drag performers.[55]The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was included in various best-albums-of-2023 year-end lists, such as those byThe A.V. Club,[56]Time,[57]Nylon,[58]Dork,[59]Rolling Stone,[60]Billboard,[61] andVogue.[62] It was also listed as one ofPitchfork's 22 Best Pop Albums of 2023[63] and was namedPopBuzz's Number One Album of 2023.[64]
In April 2024, Roan released the single "Good Luck, Babe!", describing it as "the first song of the next chapter".[70] The song speaks aboutcompulsory heterosexuality, describing a woman trying to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and women in general.[71][72] Praised byBillboard as a "well-deserved breakthrough", the song received 7 million streams in its first week, was listed in theSpotify top ten, and debuted at number 77 on theBillboard Hot 100.[73] The song was Roan's fastest to hit 100 million streams on the platform. By June, the song became her first top 20 hit on theBillboard Hot 100,[74] and by September, it reached a peak of number four, becoming her first top ten song on the chart.[75] Although not included on her debut album, the single's success was a catalyst for propelling it to worldwide recognition. In June 2024,The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess entered the top ten on theBillboard 200 for the first time, with more than 40,000 equivalent album units sold.[76][77] By August, the album had reached number two.[78][74]
Also in April, Roan performed atCoachella.[79][73] At this time, Roan saw growing success on Spotify, with her monthly listeners increasing more than 500% from February to April.[73][80] As reported byBillboard, by June 2024, Roan's weekly streams had grown by more than twenty-fold from the start of the year.[74]
During her performance at theGovernors Ball Music Festival, Roan debuted a previously unreleased song titled "The Subway", continuing to work towards a new album.[81] At a concert in June, Roan spoke to the crowd about dealing with her rapid increase in popularity, stating "I think my career is just kind of going really fast and it's really hard to keep up. I'm just being honest, I'm having a hard time today. [...] This is all I've ever wanted—it's just heavy sometimes."[82] Following her performance atLollapalooza in August, she drew the biggest daytime set ever seen at the festival.[83]
In February 2025 at the67th Grammy Awards, Roan won her firstGrammy Award forBest New Artist. In her acceptance speech, she called for record labels to provide artists with aliving wage and healthcare, saying, "Labels, we got you, but do you got us?"[91] Roan's work was also nominated for other awards, withThe Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess being nominated forAlbum of the Year andBest Pop Vocal Album, and "Good Luck, Babe!" being nominated forRecord of the Year,Song of the Year, andBest Pop Solo Performance.[92] Following Roan's Grammy acceptance speech, the former music executiveJeff Rabhan wrote an essay viaThe Hollywood Reporter criticizing Roan's acceptance speech as naive and saying labels do not have responsibilities to artists outside paying advances and royalties. The piece went viral, and Roan responded by challenging Rabhan to match a $25,000 donation to artists experiencing financial difficulty.[93]
On March 14, 2025, Roan released "The Giver" on all platforms.[94] In June, she embarked on a new tour, titled the "Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Tour".[95] It was announced in July that the tour would be coming toNew York City;Kansas City, Missouri; andPasadena, California.[96]On July 31, 2025, Roan released "The Subway", more than a year after it first premiered at her 2024 Governor's Ball set.[97]
In February 2026, Roan announced that she was terminating her representation byWasserman, the talent agency led byCasey Wasserman, due to the businessman's affiliation with theEpstein files.[98][99][100]
Roan writes most of her songs with co-writers, most prominently her producer,Dan Nigro,[101][102] with her song "Kaleidoscope" being the only song from her debut album written solely by Roan herself.[103] After the release of her debut single, "Good Hurt", her style was described inInterview as "pop sound [...] infused with a dark and unsettling tone that underscores her intense, somber lyrics."[29] In 2018, she described her musical style as a mix of organic andelectronic sounds, with a pop tone,[20] and as "dark pop with ballad undertones".[18] In her songs written while she was a teenager, according toAtwood Magazine, she "brought the hardship and turbulence of our teenaged years to life with a candidness and vividness seldom seen from her peers."[104] Roan describes her music as "kind of the fairytale version of what happened in real life" as her persona is a larger-than-life version of her real self.[39] Roan has been described as apop artist[105][106] whose music falls under theart pop,[66]dance-pop,[107] andindie pop styles.[108]
Even in her early days, Roan received praise for her vocal abilities. In 2014,Troye Sivan andConnor Franta commended the then-16-year-old Roan's singing. Sivan said that he had not heard a voice like Roan's sinceAdele, and Franta called her a "vocally gifted goddess".[109] Despite this, Roan has criticized her past singing, saying that she never had a "proper" vocal lesson until December 2022 and that she'd been "singing wrong" for 10 years.[110] In aVox feature, Constance Grady described Roan's vocal style in her early music as the "indie girl slur that was so popular at the time" and likened it to singing incursive. She named "Pink Pony Club" as the song that marked the beginning of Roan's vocal evolution.[49]
Roan has citedKate Bush as a prominent influence.[116][117] She has named "The Book of Love" bythe Magnetic Fields as the "greatest" song she's ever heard in a podcast in 2022 while also being a major fan of the band's work.[118][119] She has also cited inspirations including the artist Abbey Watkins, the filmThe Beguiled, and musical artistsalt-J,[29]Stevie Nicks,Ellie Goulding,[120]Karen Carpenter,[121]Lorde,[30] andLana Del Rey.[30] In 2023, on an exclusive interview forPop Crave, Roan stated that she listened to Lorde, Del Rey and Goulding throughout her entire high school years.[120][122] In a 2025 video, after queer social media personalityAnania asked her "What album made you gay?", Roan answered that it was Alanis Morissette'sJagged Little Pill.[123][124] She has stated that the song "Stay" byRihanna inspired her to begin writing music.[18] In 2023, aVariety article described Roan as "glammy and pop and embracing her femininity and [...] very queer-positive."[32] Roan creditedMadonna, Rihanna andNicki Minaj as women who madequeer music mainstream at the red carpet of the67th Annual Grammy Awards.[125] She has also citedLady Gaga and Nicki Minaj as inspiration for her attitude towards making people feel confident with her music.[126] She citesBeyoncé as an influence for her stage presence.[127] She spoke in admiration ofAriana Grande, calling herself "an Arianator".[128] Discovering artists likeKaty Perry,Kesha,Britney Spears, andPink during her adolescence also influenced her to start writing music and construct her onstage persona.[33][129] She stated she was raised onChristian rock during her childhood but never identified with it, instead having a curiosity about pop music.[33]
Roan's makeup and hair is primarily inspired by drag makeup, including queens likeViolet Chachki.[130] Her makeup also takes inspiration fromBoy George, 1980spunk fashion, andVivienne Westwood.[130] Roan described her makeup looks for the Coachella festival as "Paris Hilton andJames St. James orWalt Cassidy became one and put on a drag show."[79] She is also heavily inspired by theClub Kids scene.[131] While onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Roan stated her stage looks reference horror movies,burlesque, and theater.[132] She also described her outlook for her on-stage costumes, "I love looking pretty and scary. Or, like, pretty and tacky. Or just not pretty. I love that too. I just think it's just not serious, I love that fans find such deep meanings to things and I'm just like, 'I don't know, I thought I looked hot.' Like, I don't know if it's anything more than that."[133] Roan considers herself a drag queen with her own persona, stating, "I've never fully understood why women shouldn't be allowed to do drag because – yes, I do drag! [...] It feels like they don't like women doing certain things. Another man trying to tell a woman what to do. Just try telling me what to do! I'm a drag queen – whether you like it when women do it or not."[134]
Roan's success has led her to be called a "queer pop icon", "a superstar in the making", and a "visionary performer".[135][136][137] Roan has been credited with leading a "lesbian pop renaissance" on the music charts and within the cultural zeitgeist.[138][139] Roan's music brought the concept ofcompulsory heterosexuality into the forefront of mainstream pop music.[73] She has been praised for her "unapologetic authenticity" and "expression of her queerness and femininity" in her music and live performances, inspiring young women to embrace their own sexuality.[140][141] She has also been applauded for her image "rejecting themale gaze" within the pop landscape.[142] Roan has been praised for her "punkish" attitude towards the status quo forqueer performers and applauded for "rewriting the rules of lovelorn pop".[143]Rolling Stone described watching Roan's performances as "like watching Michelangelo craft the statue of David in real time".[137]
In 2024, Roan gave a guest lecture atHarvard Medical School.[65] When searching for Roan's name onGoogle, users are prompted with "Did you mean: your favorite artist's favorite artist", which references a viral clip of Roan introducing herself on stage at theCoachella Music Festival.[144] This was inspired by Roan's favorite drag performer and now drag motherSasha Colby.[144][145] Roan joked the search term was caused by a "randomtwink who works at Google" and stated that she modified Colby's phrase as she hoped Colby would one day watch and recognize her.[146] The two met in July 2024 while performing atCapitol Hill Block Party, where Colby asked Roan to join the House of Colby as her daughter.[147]
In June 2024, Roan revealed she had declined an invitation from theWhite House to perform for that year'sPride celebration. During theGovernors Ball Music Festival, Roan stated, "we want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that's when I'll come",[148] mentioning theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict andtransgender rights.[149] Roan later revealed that she considered attending, but instead of performing music, she would recite poetry byPalestinian women. Roan said that her publicist was supportive of the idea, but warned her that doing so at the White House would likely compromise her and her family's safety, which is why she decided to decline the invitation instead.[150]
In August 2024, theKamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign released a baseball cap with the words "Harris Walz" in a similar style to Roan's "Midwest Princess" merchandise baseball cap.[151] In response, Roan tweeted "is this real".[152][153] Roan refused to endorse the Harris campaign but confirmed she would vote for Harris, arguing that "endorsing and voting are completely different." Justifying the decision, she said, "FuckTrump for fucking real, but fuck some of the shit that has gone down in theDemocratic Party that has failed people like me and you — and, more so,Palestine, and more so, every marginalized community in the world."[154][155][156]
In October 2025, Roan stopped in Kansas City in her home state of Missouri during her "Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Tour". The city celebrated her arrival, decorating several buildings in the downtown area in pink lighting, as well as a mural painted depicting Roan'sThe Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess at the city's localHamburger Mary's. Her shows also featured local drag performers as openers.[157]
Roan launched the Midwest Princess Project in October 2025. Anonprofit organization, it aims to uplift trans youth and to protect other LGBTQ+ communities.[158][159][160][161]
In December 2025,M·A·C Cosmetics announced Roan as its Global Brand Ambassador beginning in 2026, highlighting her bold self-expression,LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and creative influence.[162]
On February 3, 2026,Epic Games announced a collaboration with Chappell Roan inFortnite where she headlineFortnite Festival Season 13'smusic pass, featuring skins of Roan and other brandedin-game cosmetics, music tracks, andemotes.[163][164] Roan had previously expressed interest in appearing in the game as a skin during an interview withRadio 1 a year prior.[165][166] Several of Roan's other songs were previously released in-game either as emotes or as music tracks for the player to purchase separately.
Roan currently lives inLos Angeles, California.[40] She is alesbian.[169]Though raised as a Christian, Roan no longer identifies with the church and has said that her current relationship with religion is "evolving".[39] She was diagnosed withbipolar II disorder at 22, an illness that contributed to her difficult childhood.[15][39] She has described therapy and medication as important facets in caring for and maintaining her mental health.[15][170]
Roan has said that the idea of her trademark "tacky pop star" appearance came to her while discussing herinner child with her therapist.[39] While "Chappell Roan" began solely as astage name, she has since called it herdrag persona[171][16][39] and likened it toHannah Montana,[170][172] describing the character as "more open and confident [...] especially regarding sex" than her real self.[7][16][173]
Following her rapid commercial breakthrough, Roan publicly addressed the pressures of her newfound fame and condemned behavior from some fans that she considered "creepy" and "invasive".[174] In multiplesocial media posts, she expressed feeling unsafe as a result of public harassment and stalking from fans, which has included attempts to contact members of her family.[175]
^"Dwight Amstutz".LinkedIn. LinkedIn Corporation. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2025....Navy Reservist Retired ... Feb 1991 - Oct 2018 ... Had an 8 year gap but put in 21 good years to retire in 2018 ... ... Owner, Hometown Veterinary Hospital ... Jan 2002 - Jan 2022 ... Spend time ensuring hospital business systems flow without flaw... ... St. John's School of Nursing, Diploma of Nursing RN, 1995 - 1996 ... ... Staff Nurse II, University of Missouri Hospital & Clinics, Jan 1997 - Aug 1999 ... Neurosurgical ICU ...
^Gillis, Drew; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Keates, Emma; Lowery, Tim; Gajjar, Saloni; Carr, Mary Kate (December 13, 2023)."The 27 best albums of 2023".The A.V. Club.Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. RetrievedDecember 27, 2023.
^Roan, Chappell [@ChappellRoan] (August 6, 2024)."is this real" (Tweet).Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. RetrievedAugust 6, 2024 – viaTwitter.
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