Chappell Roan on Navigating Fame
How the Rising Star Is Redefining Boundaries
In 2024, Chappell Roan’s album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” rose to the top of the charts, taking Roan from a working musician of many years to one with mainstream recognition. The pop singer-songwriter’s popularity increased when her songs “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!” skyrocketed on TikTok. Notable for her red hair, bold makeup and drag-inspired fashion, Roan has become a prominent voice for the LGBTQ community, proclaiming her image as a pop star with unapologetic self-expression.
Sold out shows, festival performances and TV show appearances, are all followed by invasive paparazzi, prying eyes of fans and presumptuous media sources. With Roan’s quick rise to fame, she has been struggling with the sudden spotlight, leading her to set boundaries by canceling shows and declining physical interactions with fans.
In an interview with The Guardian, Roan revealed that she has been diagnosed with severe depression along with her previously-existing bipolar disorder. Through being in therapy twice a week and seeing a psychiatrist, Roan realized that she is experiencing depression’s unique symptoms that aren’t just constant sadness. Brain fog, uninspired viewpoint and lack of focus all seem to be challenges coming with the darker side of fame that Roan is battling.
In performances and interviews, Roan has been honest with her fans about how her conflicting feelings with fame and recognition affect her mental health. During her “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” tour in Raleigh N.C., Roan had a vulnerable moment where she shared to her fans the challenges she was facing with her rise to spotlight.
“I think my career is just kind of going really fast and it’s really hard to keep up,” Roan said. “I’m just being honest, I’m having a hard time today. This is all I’ve ever wanted, it’s just heavy sometimes.”
Along with her mental health struggles, Roan’s confrontational personality has led her to establish boundaries.
“I think mental health should always be put first,” senior Pearce Witters said. “If she feels like she can’t handle it, I think it’s very mature for her to cancel shows and put herself over her fans.”
However, her boundaries have led her to receive backlash from fans, calling her ungrateful and unfit for fame. One of these incidents was on the VMA’s red carpet. After being yelled at by a photographer, Roan confronted him.
“I think it takes a strong person to speak up for themselves,” sophomore Lily Smith said. “Especially when it’s about your personal needs, such as mental health.”
Confrontation in the eye of fame tends to be perceived as dramatic or overly sensitive. Roan’s exterior image is already established in the public eye by her aesthetic. However, because Roan is so new to fame, her interior image is reflected by her public encounters. When describing incidents of fans being intrusive, Roan has been clear in her expressions against such behavior, further establishing boundaries against the parasocial relationship her fans have with her. The public gets a sense of Roan’s interiority by the way she interacts with the media, which leads her to receive backlash for her forward expressions.
Her mental health and encounters with invasive fans led her to cancel two shows in New York and Colombia in September 2024, further triggering backlash. This sparked controversy among fans about the validity of artists to cancel prior commitments in the case of establishing boundaries.
“If artists have no goal to achieve, then yes it’s fine to follow your happiness,” junior Abram Wildrick said. “But if there is something an artist wants to achieve and they haven’t, struggles become just a step in the process.”
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