Throughout 2024, there were many artists that quickly gained popularity, such as Charli XCX with “BRAT.” But no artist rose to fame as quickly as Chappell Roan, whose album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” hit No. 2 on the Billboard top 100, with songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” climbing up to No. 4 and “HOT TO GO!” reaching No. 15. Roan’s career took off extremely quickly after her album release, with many public appearances on talk shows such as the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, performing as an opener in Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour, and even headlining her own tour. However, her quick rise to fame came alongside some controversy, and Roan’s career has gone through highs and lows during her short time in the public eye.
Berkeley High School senior Olivia Nguyen feels that although Roan’s presence sometimes feels overdone, her self expression seems genuine. “I think her art is more of a projection of the identity she’s created for herself. There’s a level of falseness that’s bound to exist with a persona — that’s exactly what being a performer is. There’s certainly a marketing aspect that can make it feel gimmicky, but I feel her art still stands as a simple form of self expression,” Nguyen said.
Recently, Roan has gone viral for yelling at a reporter on the red carpet for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour movie. She recalled the reporter being rude in a past encounter, and demanded an apology from him. She had to be moved down the carpet due to the altercation becoming extremely heated. This is not the only time Roan has made controversial decisions that gained attention online. Roan refused to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election, prompting media backlash. She had stated that although she would vote for Harris, she wouldn’t endorse her because “there’s problems on both sides,” which sparked criticism from many of her fans.
Additionally, back in August of 2024, Roan made a TikTok explaining that she didn’t want her fans aggressively asking for photos, referring to them as stalkers. BHS freshman Amaris Sotorosen finds that Roan’s reaction to her publicity has not been the best.
“I think that’s kind of unprofessional. Like, I get the need for (privacy), but there’s a lot of better ways to go about it,” Sotorosen said.
While Roan has been inconsistent with her public appearance, it seems like the buzz around her is starting to slow down. BHS freshman Maia Wilsey believes she will reduce the extremity of her decisions sometime in the near future. “I think she is just new to fame and might not be handling it the best, but over time she will learn,” Wilsey said.
Considering her recent brash decisions and actions, we are left to speculate whether Roan will choose to continue expressing herself in the same way or if she will tamp down in order to regain public favor.