Chappell Roan is reminding us again why she is pop princess royalty, but is she soon to take over country music as well? Her newest single, “The Giver,” has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100, proving that she really can do it all.
Roan has been staying out of the limelight in the last few months and has been outspoken about her struggles with her mental health while becoming a national sensation. When she was on her Midwest Princess Tour last summer, she told The Guardian, “I think it’s because my whole life has changed. Everything that I really love to do now comes with baggage. If I want to go thrifting, I have to book security and prepare myself that this is not going to be normal. Going to the park, pilates, yoga — how do I do this in a safe way where I’m not going to be stalked or harassed?” She goes on to say that, “every time I walk through my front door, it just comes out of me … I can’t even help it, I just start sobbing and either being so angry at myself for choosing this path, or grieving how the curiosity and pure wonder I had about the world is somewhat taken away from me.”
The “Pink Pony Club” artist famously spoke out about the expectations set upon her because of her fame and sexuality, opening up on the Call Her Daddy podcast and said, “Like, I don’t know everything about being a woman. I don’t know everything about f*cking fashion or drag or performing. I try to know everything I can, but when I don’t answer a question correctly or I don’t acknowledge one community, it’s like, how can I do it all? How can these girls tour, write, perform, interview, sleep, eat and workout? And how can they do all and lead a team and be a boss and pay people and be like f*cking so politically educated.” While many found her honesty about her experience as a performer to be disappointing, true fans of Roan have rallied around her during this time, sharing their support and understanding of her boundaries.
Roan’s fans have expressed that they appreciate and respect her transparency. Her audience loves that she’s transparent and reflects common experiences of young, queer women through her music. She doesn’t pretend like she’s perfect or has her entire life together as a twenty-seven-year-old artist. Fans are able to connect with her even more because she makes her boundaries clear and actively advocates for the mental and physical health of others.
At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Roan took home one of the most coveted awards of the night – The ‘Best New Artist’ Award. Following her incredible performance that had almost everyone in the audience on their feet and the announcement that she had won her first Grammy, she took advantage of the platform she was given and spoke to millions worldwide about healthcare for young artists: “I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,” going on to say later in her speech, “Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.”
As for her upcoming music, “The Giver” has set an incredibly high bar for listeners patiently awaiting her next single or upcoming album. Many have posed the question of whether she will continue to blend her Midwest roots with the high-synth beats of hyper-feminine pop or lean completely into country music. When talking with E!, she cited Big & Rich’s 2004 hit, “Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” as one of the many inspirations for writing a country song for herself, “I wanted to write a country song because I just thought it would be funny.”
It’s safe to say that no matter the genre of music Roan chooses to present herself in, she’ll make a massive and stunning impact on her fans and audiences worldwide. While she decided to write “The Giver” to be ‘fun and campy,’ I personally hope to see her take country music by the reins again soon. As someone who also grew up on country music, seeing my favorite artist blend the two distinct genres into one masterpiece was a beautiful thing to listen to.
Roan shows us time and time again that she isn’t only an artist, an advocate, or a pillar of stardom, but just a young girl from Missoui – or a Midwest Princess, if you will. She’s beautiful and creative and has an incredible voice and eye for lyricism, but more importantly, she is inspiring.
With her latest hit giving fans everything they could’ve wanted and more, those who adore the artist patiently await the next musical drop or announcement they know is coming soon.