Influenced by:
- alt-J, The Beguiled, Barbie and Bratz, burlesque and cabaret, Kate Bush, Carpenters, Phil Collins, drag queens, Eurythmics, Hannah Montana, Lana Del Rey, Frida Kahlo, Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, Dua Lipa, Lorde, Stevie Nicks, Katy Perry, P!nk, Caroline Polachek, Queen, Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Shania Twain
Baby, why don't you come over?
Red wine supernova, falling into me.
Red wine supernova, falling into me.
—"Red Wine Supernova"
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (born 19 February 1998), known professionally as Chappell Roan, is an American pop singer and songwriter from Missouri. Her music features sapphic themes and combines Synth-Pop and pop maximalism, being very camp. Her visual aesthetic is inspired by drag queens.
Amstutz began her career posting songs and covers on YouTube and first received attention around 2014 from other YouTubers like Troye Sivan. She went on tour with Declan McKenna in 2018. She later gained popularity with her 2020 single "Pink Pony Club" and went mainstream when she opened for Olivia Rodrigo on tour. She released her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in 2023.
Her Stage Name is in honour of her grandfather Dennis Chappell, whose favourite song was "The Strawberry Roan."
Discography:
- School Nights (EP, 2017)
- The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023)
Tropes in her music:
- Armoured Closet Gay: "Good Luck, Babe!" is about a lesbian in denial of her sexuality and the narrator's affections.
- Beauty Contest: The album cover of "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" portrays Chappell as a beauty queen.
- Commitment Issues: "Casual" is ultimately about a relationship that Chappell is far more invested in than the other woman, who insists that things aren't serious despite Chappell meeting her parents, consoling her sister, and having a lot of sex in a lot of places.
- Cute Monster Girl: The music video for "Casual" by Chappell Roan sees her meeting and falling in love with a siren who, despite her sharp teeth and tendency to devour men, is rather adorable.
- Drag Queen: Although not a drag queen herself, her fashion, makeup, and overall aesthetic is influenced by drag queens. The music video for "HOT TO GO!" features several Missouri drag queens performing alongside Chappell as well.
- Guilty Pleasures: In the song "Guilty Pleasure", she says that her love interest gives her "guilty pleasure."
- Intercourse with You: A large portion of her discography is made up of songs about lesbian sex, such as "Red Wine Supernova" and "Naked in Manhattan."
- Our Mermaids Are Different: The music video for "Casual" sees Chappell meeting and falling in love with an aquatic sharp-toothed siren who attacks the men who approach her but returns the singer's affections. The siren prefers staying in her pool or tub when she stays over at her house, but always returns to the sea, and in the end breaks things off entirely with Chappell when she finds Chappell has redirected her bedroom to have an undersea theme in the hopes that the siren will move in permanently.
- Portmantitle: The title of "Femininomenon" combines "feminine" and "phenomenon."
- Sexual Euphemism: Her songs feature many sexual euphemisms. For instance, "Red Wine Supernova" features the lyric "I heard you like magic, I got a wand and a rabbit," referencing the names of sex toys.
- What Does She See in Her?: The opening lyrics of "Casual" have Chappell trying to convince her friends that her current relationship is serious, despite the friends recognizing that the other woman clearly doesn't return Chappell's affections and only sees her as a casual fling.
- Where Everybody Knows Your Flame: "Pink Pony Club" describes a girl leaving her conservative small town in Tennessee and travelling to Los Angeles, eventually becoming a dancer at the eponymous Pink Pony Club. The music video shows her performing at a biker bar with non-receptive patrons, but the longer she goes the more they start to enjoy it and the more other queer performers arrive, and by the end there are plenty of drag queens and leather daddies dancing right alongside the bikers.
