A protest is a beautiful type of music.
We very much live in a time where queer joy is hunted at its own source. Legislation is proposed and sometimes even passed to ban talk of us to younger generations, all while pride parades are given judgemental, uncalled-for looks. But Missouri-native Chappell Roan travels to venues from New York City to London with the unapologetic joy to rub salt into it.
It’s all thanks to her passion for her queer community. “Pink Pony Club” was released as a single in April of 2020, ironically speaking of leaving an inner bubble and shining as oneself. It discusses the culture of gay bars in Los Angeles, the music video touching on the safe space they create for queer folk and drag personas. She has “wicked dreams of leaving Tennessee,” and finds that California is where they peacefully land. The song has garnered around twenty-one million streams on Spotify, evident by the allotment of folk wearing pink cowboy hats to her concerts to resemble the single’s cover.
This pop tune inspired many more to come. February 2022’s “Naked In Manhattan” details a first queer experience in the Big Apple, inspired by Roan’s personal accounts. The song begins very poetically, the first verse stating “I’d love if you knew you were on my mind. Constant, like cicadas in the summertime.” She later makes references to queer-beloved media, such as Mean Girls (2004) and Mulholland Drive (2001), to compare them with this love.
August of that very year birthed “Femininomenon,” just as much of a blast as it is to pronounce. It is a tune of female liberation that satires the frustrations of online love. “He disappeared from the second that you said ‘let’s get coffee’” and “stuck in the suburbs, you’re folding his laundry” describes it to be a poor and consequential experience. In the bridge, Roan goes on to say that “what we really need is a femiminomenon.” This fun motto serves as a statement granting power to women falling victim to Hinge.
But Roan’s horizons only expand, and have never stopped at pop. She released the gut-wrenching ballad “Kaleidoscope” in March 2023, describing the aftermath of a failed friends-to-lovers arch. She explains that love is never uniform, the chorus stating that “even upside down, it’s beautiful somehow” and “it’s never just a shape alone.” She also sympathizes with the second party, noting that “whatever you decide, I will understand, and it’ll just take time to go back to being friends.” As she is devastated about the downfall of the relationship, she deeply cares for the past lover.
She included these four songs, alongside ten others, on her debut album The Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess. Red Wine Supernova, After Midnight, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, and Guilty Pleasure value romantic attraction and the start of a love. However, it becomes questioned whether or not that energy is mutual in the tracks Casual and Picture You. A broken heart prompted both the vengeful bop My Kink Is Karma, as well as the heart-stopping ballad Coffee. We all want the range she has.
She had even more to sing and shout about. A fun cheer accompanies the intense pop anthem Hot To Go, while hometown homesickness accompanies the slower pop anthem California. These three songs, much like the others, do not miss a beat in authenticity.
Overall, Roan’s music accounts for the trials and tribulations of love. Whether that love be a human or a place, she normalizes and holds the many feelings into which the love can manifest.
She performed this music live during her 2023 Naked in North America, and in quite the revolutionary way.
The queerness commonly portrayed on the album was of utmost importance to Roan. “It’s so important to help the queer community,” she would say at venues she played. “You should be allowed to be crazy and be fun and be queer and kiss girls.” The audience, consisting of quite a few folk decked in pride gear, would cheer very loudly.
Continuing her advocacy, she invited drag personas to open every show. They performed their own acts to an audience getting comfy in their seats. This proved to be integral, for the timing of the tour marked when Republicans in American congress only continued propose anti-drag legislation. The bills either restricted drag performances to older audiences or completely banned them in public spaces.
As the entire art of drag was scrutinized, Roan gave voice to those whose artistic abilities and authenticity were put near a sword’s end daily. She would then post the performers’ Venmo handles to her Instagram story, supporting the performers even while offstage.
Chappell Roan has become an elixir of hope for her audience, many of whom have broken hearts or threatened rights. In a scary, unpredictable atmosphere, she proves that refusing to play dress up as anyone but oneself is a beautiful urgency.
