“Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, Saturday, May 18, 2024
“What on earth is this?”I stumbled on today’s song, “Good Luck, Babe!” about a month ago when I was browsing Spotify’s top viral songs. No Chappell Roan’s music isn’t earth-shattering, but something about her ‘80s queer-pop aesthetic feels completely new. And although Chappell Roan is the stage name of the “Midwest Princess” Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, this persona feels oddly authentic. Roan is currently enjoying a viral moment after opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts World Tour and performing at Coachella. Spotify reported that Roan had seen a 500% increase in listenership between February and April.
I DON’T WANNA CALL IT OFF, BUT YOU DON’T WANNA CALL IT LOVE. Chappell Roan is not a new artist; she’s been self-releasing music since 2014, first through YouTube under her real name. Amstutz’s love for music began with the piano before adolescence. Growing up in a conservative Christian home in Missouri, church and Christian youth camps were a part of the singer’s youth. But growing up in the Internet age gave the young artist a chance at exposure and a broader world than her small town. Although she didn’t make the cut to be on America’s Got Talent, Atlantic Records signed her at 17 on the promise of her YouTube covers and following. It was then that Amstutz adopted the stage name, Chappell Roan, which she describes as both her stage name and her drag persona. Taking her late grandfather’s last name Dennis K. Chappell and Roan from his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan” by Curley Fletcher. Roan released her first EP School Nights in 2017. In 2020, Roan began working with collaborator Dan Nigro, the former lead singer and guitarist of As Tall as Lions. Rather than the dark pop sounds of School Nights, Roan’s new sound was inspired by gay clubs and living in Los Angeles.
YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN HIS WIFE. After releasing three singles in her new sound, Atlantic Records dropped Chappell Roan, stating that her music wasn’t profitable for the major label. Roan was only beginning her rebrand, but her favorite collaborator, Dan Nigro, had created a runaway success with Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” and had to finish SOUR, leaving without a label and a producer. This would be the typical ending of most indie pop performers. But when Roan moved back to Missouri, she was determined that her musical career was not over. While she was in Missouri, the critics were just digesting Roan’s work, especially her single “Pink Pony Club,” which USA Today ranked as the third best song of 2020 and Vulture called “The Song of the Summer” in 2021. Roan amassed a bigger following from opening on Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR tour, generating positive reviews from NPR. Working as an independent artist and with some further collaborations with Nigro, Roan released her 2023 debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, a collection of her previous singles and new songs. Now, Roan is entering a new era with the single “Good Luck, Babe!” I hope that things remain on the up and up for this hard-working indie pop star. With queer artists perpetually catching fleeting moments, I hope that Roan can be our gay Madonna.
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