Chappell Roan

A purveyor of dusky, yearning keyboard pop, Chappell Roan is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Her debut EP, School Nights, arrived on Atlantic in 2017, and she had a streaming smash with “Pink Pony Club” in 2020. She went the independent route for subsequent releases, including 2022′s “Naked in Manhattan” and “Feminomenon,” and 2023′s “Kaleidoscope” and “Red Wine Supernova.” Roan’s first full-length, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, landed in 2023.
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in Willard, Missouri, in 1998, she started taking piano lessons as a preteen as well as teaching herself to play along by ear to her favorite records. She was also a member of her school choir. After Roan won a school talent show in the eighth grade, her mother encouraged her to perform around town, and she soon began posting her music online. Still going by her given name, Kayleigh Rose, she visited New York City in 2015 for label showcases, and on the strength of the single “Die Young” ended up signing with Atlantic Records as a junior in high school. Taking the stage name Chappell Roan (a tribute to her grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell), her official debut single, “Good Hurt,” saw release in mid-2017. That September’s School Nights EP was accompanied by a tour in support of Vance Joy. By then relocated to Los Angeles, Roan next toured with Declan McKenna and issued a series of singles, including “Bitter” (2018) and “Pink Pony Club” (2020). A dramatic pop fantasy about a dancer, the latter song garnered millions of plays on streaming services.
Roan parted ways with Atlantic in 2020, later returning in early 2022 with her first new material in two years, “Naked in Manhattan.” A West Coast support slot for Olivia Rodrigo followed in May. She delivered more singles, including “My Kink Is Karma” and “Feminomenon,” before the end of the year. She kicked off 2023 with a headlining jaunt dubbed “The Naked in North America Tour,” also releasing the streaming hits “Red Wine Supernova” and “Kaleidoscope.” These tracks appeared on her official debut LP, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which arrived in September. Roan supported the breakthrough release with “The Midwest Princess Tour,” as well as a supporting slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS tour. ~ Marcy Donelson