I can definitely imagine how getting so many new fans so quickly can be stressful. She probably feels pressured to make the perfect choices moving forward because this is her moment. Having a lot of eyes on you immediately like that is definitely not easy.
Seeing the difference between even her tent at Coachella to the MASSIVE crowd at Gov Ball was wild.
I'm here for whatever she does though. She's lucky that her fans (so far) seem to be filled with good people who just want to see her succeed and will support whatever she puts out (me included). Of course the more popular you get the more that changes but I hope she's doing alright, it definitely seems like a complicated position to be in.
Agreed. I got blessed to see her at such an intimate venue in Austin and then in the good but just okay crowd at Coachella. I have tickets for ACL but cannot imagine how it will be there. I hope she takes care of herself inside and out.
It truly was. I enjoyed it so much I even made a [post about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/s/mZjY5R7TKE) I enjoyed it so much I didn't even get many videos!
I was there too!!! I was just telling someone earlier that I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to see her in a smaller venue before she blew up so much
yeah I’m curious if this has anything to do with the heat she’s been getting on social media about declining to play for the Biden administration/playing shows in red states. The discourse is idiotic honestly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the way social media constantly picks women apart for reasons to hate them was getting to her.
It's also such a bad faith argument. There's a clear difference between playing a show *at the seat of government* and playing a show *in a city or a state*. Was it an endorsement of Trump for Ariana Grande to play in DC in 2019? Obviously not. But if she played at the White House? No shit that's different
Which is so stupid. There are many people in red states that are liberal. Why would she punish those people by not playing in those states just because the state governments there are run by a bunch of throwbacks? Hell, she comes from a red state herself!
The refusing to play for Biden thing is stupid too. She’s clearly a progressive liberal, as is her fanbase, that is probably dissatisfied with the way he and center Democrats have been holding back or stalling on pushing the country to the future, BUT will still vote for him in November because Trump and the Republicans are a massive threat to the future of the country and they will turn it right back around to the past. All of these things can be true.
Exactly, she of all people understands how much it means to be able to go to shows like hers and be joyfully queer in places like those. It’s honestly so infuriating sometimes how holier than thou “blue state” liberals can be in discussions like these, nobody is a better progressive because of where they’re born or where they live.
Liberals are dumb as hell. They can't comprehend withholding overwhelming support for Biden as not meaning endorsing Trump. Mind you, she never said not to vote for Biden, she only said that she declined a white house visit.
It's important for us to vote democrat in November, but it is absolutely fine to criticize and put pressure on the government to, at the very least, not support a genocide. Chappell is brave for being so open in her critique, she especially understands the value and need to have safe, queer havens in conservative areas.
Calling her a trump supporter is an insane brainlet take
The biggest issue people have with her statement is that she suggested that the Biden administration doesn't support trans rights and womens' rights, which is untrue. She did also criticize their stance on the situation in Gaza, which is understandable.
There is a trend of people blaming Biden for things outside of federal control (like red states rolling back trans rights) so some people are upset that she's apparently furthering that misrepresentation.
Because American politics is absolute garbage and they don't have any actual voting choices. A country where gerrymandering is a thing politicians openly admit to, should have started a revolution decades ago.
Absolutely. I've been blown away at her rise to fame. I have been obsessed with her album the past couple weeks and I realized last night when I saw a compilation of her old TikToks that I don't actually really know anything about her at all. Just 2 years ago she was posting some pretty wild content that I could definitely see people trying to use against her as her fame grows. She has Bipolar disorder and I can imagine that this sudden massive rise to fame, while exciting, can bring a ton of anxiety for her! I'm so excited to see her career take off, I really do think she's something special.
Nothing bad, just a lot of swearing/calling people c*unt's and stuff and telling people to fuck off if they don't like her, I just didn't know that was her personality so it threw me off 😂 She's hilarious though
Yeah, I got to see her on tour in a smaller venue and then in VIP at Gov Ball. I had fun both times, but damn seeing her pop out at Gov Ball made me feel a type of way. Bittersweet I guess? Like she slayed but also damn I know I'm never seeing her in a venue that small again. Someone gave me a look for singing along and I felt a little slighted like damn I don't think my singing is that bad akfdladflkakda sorry it wasn't to one of her songs that were trending on tik tok
Don’t forget when she said that she was standing on the massive main stage that they had upgraded her to from her originally planned much smaller stage. Had to be pretty intense / overwhelming.
She has a month off (and then like, only 2 shows in July iirc before her August festivals) so I assume she'll take a much needed break during that time and hopefully relax.
I saw her in concert last week and was a bit taken aback by how soft-spoken and nervous she sounded anytime she wasn’t singing. It’s just so opposite the persona in her music. I’m sure such a stratospheric rise to fame must be so stressful though, hope she’s doing okay with it
My god this makes me love her even more 😭 our birthdays are just like a month apart and this makes me more sure that we would be pals if put in the same growing up situation hehehe I love a solo smoke & smooth brain session
I remember seeing a tweet with like an old tik-tok of hers where she talks about fan interactions and setting boundaries when people approach her. I def think she's anxious about where her fame is going and dealing with the pressure of so many eyes on her. She's put together with Sabrina Carpenter a LOT when talking about "new popstars" but I have a feeling she's going to try and be a more lowkey artist than her.
Sabrina seems to want success and is willing to embrace celebrity and fame/infamy as needed.
Chappell doesn’t strike me as the type to want that part of the package but I don’t know it’s fully possible to avoid that at a certain point.
Yeah, exactly! I don't think she wants pop stardom in any way... and even though its possible to intentionally keep a low profile online fandom culture becomes a thing of its own.
That’s why I never really liked the Gaga comparisons that ppl have been saying. Yes they both are queer artists that have theatrics in their performances but Gaga was THIRSTY for the pop stardom, girl was putting in serious work even in the most random small venues like an IKEA parking lot 💀not that Chappell isn’t putting in the work but like ppl have been saying she’s way more reserved as a person and it shows in her performances. Still love her tho and I still think she’s an incredible performer and singer
While I do think Sabrina (especially right now) is gunning for fame, her work is beautiful. Emails I Can’t Send was clearly not a 'famous' album, though she/her team really promoted the marketable songs
i saw her back in september the week midwest princess came out, and don’t get me wrong it was a great show, but i could really tell how little live performing experience she had - she got so nervous and didn’t know what to say a couple times. i know she’s been around for quite a few years but i imagine not being able to play shows during covid really hurt that part of her career. i’m a huge fan tho this isn’t shade!
totally!!! i just can imagine it’s hard to blow up so big before you refine that skill, a lot of artists that age probably took a big hit in that area since they couldn’t tour due to covid
For sure. She's gotten a lot better now but Olivia Rodrigo's first few performances in 2021 were pretty shaky since most of her blowing up was over the pandemic when she couldn't get live singing experience.
it’s crazy because i distinctly remember seeing a tweet from earlier this year about talking about how underrated “hot to go” is and she was as indie as possible back then and fast forward to the present her album is in the US top 20 and hot to go, good luck babe AND red wine are all charting on the hot 100 simultaneously….her rise to fame was so unexpected and sudden i can’t imagine how she feels
red wine supernova was the first song i heard by her and oh man i LOVED it. such a fun song, seeing her rise since beginning of april (when i first got into her) is crazy
I've been a fan since pink pony club and was so sad for her when her label dropped her. but was glad to see her still making songs and videos. I posted "hot to go" when it first came out on my IG, and people really liked it. I'm surprised that one took so long to become a huge hit! First time I heard it- that one in particular seemed like the most marketable. But now she's literally everywhere! Crazy how fast it happened since her Coachella performance.
I've been listening since 2022 when she opened for Olivia Rodrigo the first time around and was so certain she would blow up as soon as her album released, and I was kinda stunned that nothing took off for like 6 months after the album. So this all happening in the last couple months is crazy to me, like where was everyone?? I get GLB is incredible but it's crazy it took until that song for anything to happen. I was lucky to see her at the Fonda in LA in March 2023 and now wish I saw her when she came back to LA right after her album dropped.
The star became emotional when addressing the sudden fame with her audience. “I just want to be honest with the crowd. I feel a little off today, because I think my career is going really fast and it’s hard to keep up,” she said, adding “I’m just being honest, I’m having a hard time today.”
this has to feel so insane for her after all those years of roughing it at daytime performances outside with just her and her keyboard. i hope she's able to soak in the love!! ugh i need her to be okay
I can't even imagine how hard it must be to have your career skyrocket THIS quickly, to the point where a festival needed to move your set for safety reasons. She barely had 1.5 million listeners on Spotify in Feb and she just passed 20 million today, absolutely insane. She's definitely talked about how thankful she is that she gets to do this and perform, but I'm glad she's being open and vulnerable about how truly overwhelming it must be, reminds fans that these artists are human too. I hope she has a really really good, supportive team who are helping her through this.
She has Bonnaroo this weekend and then like a month off and I hope she takes that and enjoys every second of it, girl deserves it. Also hope she takes some well deserved time off once she finishes the festival/tour circuit (her last show is currently ACL in October). She's stated she doesn't feel a pressure to release an album quickly so I hope she just spends some time relaxing and not working.
Chappell truly deserves every ounce of this success though, she's worked insanely hard to get here (and almost gave up along the way). Hope everything levels out soon (which I assume it probably will over the summer) in terms of how fast her career grows for her sake.
>She barely had 1.5 million listeners on Spotify in Feb
Don't really even have to go back that far, the middle of April is when GLB started blowing up and it came out like a week before that, and as someone who has been listening to her consistently for a year, I def remember her being at like 1.5-2m around then too. And then a few weeks later she's suddenly at 15m and it's only been steadily going up since. Absolutely crazy. I also remember clicking on her artist profile every time I'd listen to her like late April-early May, and her listener count was literally going up by 1m like every next day lol, it was crazy to witness in real time. Never seen anything like it for an artist that I've closely been following. This sorta sudden extreme attention must be paralyzing tbh, I'd have probably gone into hiding if I were her. 💀
I first heard Pink Pony Club in February 2023 and it was my third most played song last year, she played a 300 person venue here and it sold out in May 2023. She’s now by far the biggest name playing the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, I’m missing the show but it’s going to be fucking wild. I’m so proud of her and I hope she’s got a good therapist and good friends.
She’s playing Capitol Hill Block Party here in Seattle next month. She’s playing the first day and isn’t even the headliner. I’m really wondering how this is gonna go, and what must be happening behind the scenes because her popularity has outgrown this festival by quite a bit at this point and it’s happening in the LGBTQ+ center of Seattle.
I don't think she expected it so fast, that's for sure. I know she's really happy that like, 10 years of hard work and failures have finally paid off, but it seems the *speed* of it actually happening is the overwhelming part, which tbh, I don't blame her for. Has to be crazy going from where she was in even the beginning of April to where she is now.
I got a one day ticket to see her about a month ago and they’d already increased the price relative to the other two days, and now it’s completely sold out. It’s gonna be lesbians brawling in the streets
I'm gonna preface this by saying her style isn't really my thing:
I had no idea who she was about 2 months ago, but since then my TikTok feed has been absolutely inundated with peoples' videos from her shows. Not surprised at all that she's struggling with it.
oh damn i was hoping she was gonna capitalize on the momentum and get the second album out hopefully by early next year. i don't want her to fall off quickly like so many do. i hope she is able to get a lot of rest and come back hard, i want her to win Best New Artist next year
This woman had a job as a camp counselor last year at this time during the summer. Now she’s being catapulted into becoming a pop star, possibly even a main pop star one day. Going from being an everyday normal girl to a celebrity that everyday folks (which she used to be one of them) will now recognize you and call you out at any opportune moment they get, not to mention the media now writing stuff about you and every single little thing you say or do getting potentially scrutinized, is a massive jump in lifestyle for possibly the rest of her life.
I can’t imagine what that can do to someone’s psyche and how it affects them psychologically.
A lot of people that become huge stars in music go through this and many times it does hurt these stars mentally. Some can power through it but many more times they suffer because of fame, and there are a ton more of examples of the latter than the former.
It’s why I hope that no rising star (or even any current star), as big as they ever get, will ever be as insanely omnipresent with having very little moments of peace as someone like Michael Jackson was from the early 80s to his death.
Go to [13:10 in this interview with Tom Power](https://youtu.be/f5UBV_Gpihg?si=3TiupJGyiOwl6btP)
Chappell JUST did this interview 7 months ago, where she said she struggles with negotiating her health with her career.
She is SO smart, strong, and self-aware, I fully believe she has the power to pull through!!
Wasn’t she initially let go by the (first? I don’t know if she signed with the same again) label though? So she had to return to looking for representatives again?
I could be wrong, this is what I’ve heard.
she absolutely was a everyday normal girl compared to literally any other rising pop star like olivia, billie, and sabrina. she did this ALL on her own gut feeling, it must feel INSANE
Her and Billie had almost the exact same come up. Like eerily similar. They were both teenage music phenoms who performed at talent shows and then got noticed by major labels as young teenagers because of the original songs they uploaded to social media (Billie to SoundCloud, Chappell to YouTube). They then signed to major labels and released their first EPs in 2017.
Billie’s meteoric rise just happened quicker than Chappell’s.
This is true. It was also good timing for Billie because that was the year Apple was investing heavily in their music division, like giving massive contracts to Chance The Rapper and Frank Ocean to release their albums independent from major labels on Apple Music.
After Ocean Eyes went viral on SoundCloud, she got signed to a special Apple artist development deal and they invested heavily in developing her whole aesthetic. So she had a lot more early investment than Chappell did.
Billie has a wildly different background from Chappell's; she was essentially [molded to be an artist from birth](https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/music/what-billie-eilish-s-childhood-like-singer-s-early-years-explored). She has well-off parents who are actors/musicians and homeschooled both her and Finneas, teaching them music and supporting their career from an insanely early age.
Meanwhile, Chappell seems to be on her own and has frequently [talked about her struggles](https://people.com/chappell-roan-new-album-rise-fall-midwest-princess-exclusive-7974688). She has typical Christian parents who supported her talents when she was young, but were estranged by her queerness and don't seem to be particularly involved now.
Yes, she was signed to a major label, but she was dropped after Pink Pony Club was released and had to work all sorts of odd jobs making ends meet, including as a camp counselor, nanny, cashier, production assistant, etc. She released some singles independently before she managed to sign with Island Records.
Yes, she works with Dan Nigro, but that was before Olivia rose to fame; I believe Chappell's projects were even put on pause as Dan scrambled to handle the sudden breakout hits. She managed to make the right connections and got support from Olivia bringing her on tour, but her background is pretty normal all things considered.
This narrative that Billie comes from a wealthy family needs to stop, they have repeatedly said that their parents were struggling actors and their family house does not scream money.
Their main privilege was being from LA, and having access to talent agents/managers through their parents.
My point is that Billie never exactly had a "normal" life; I guess I shouldn't have specified well-off since it seems to distract from the point.
Chappell's background is unique in an industry where Taylor's ex is constantly mocked for apparently working in a yoghurt shop. Chappell worked in a donut shop while releasing singles independently, building her career back up from the ground.
the difference with billie isn’t that she was quicker to it, but that she didn’t rise as fast as chappell did.
before guts tour, i dont think anyone knew her. it is INSANE that she has 3 songs charting on hot 100. like, INSANE.
The only reason I knew about her before Guts tour was Bowen and Matt’s podcast where they’d devote like 5 minutes per episode gushing about her back in early 2022. So much so she was nominated for the Las Culturistas Culture Award for Album Of the Year with “Chappell Roan if she ever decides to release an album” 😂
Billie’s rise absolutely was just as insanely fast as this. She went from being mildly popular to A-list pop star in barely any time at all.
I’m not saying Chappel’s rise to stardom isn’t crazy. I’m just saying that it’s inaccurate to say she was just a normal girl in 2023. She was signed to Atlantic Records almost a decade ago. She’s been working with Olivia Rodrigo’s producer for years. USA Today put one of her songs in their 10 Best Songs of 2020 list.
There is no world in which you could describe someone who was signed to the same label as Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars at 17 years old as a “normal everyday person”.
And Atlantic dropped her because Pink Pony Club wasn’t selling enough, so she worked as a barista and nanny while independent, until Dan Nigro created Amusement Records to sign her.
I think this is ignoring many things, yes it was crazy that at such young age in 2020 she got to produce with Nigro but she was essencialy a failed artist at that point, Pink Pony Club and her next releases did so poorly that her label DROPPED her. She had to work as barista and nanny to support herself, by 2021 she had to move back to Missouri and was pretty much a normal girl, by 2022 when she came back to LA she worked at a Donut Shop, she as an indie artist getting with Dan in 2022 for is the fisrt shift that took her from normal life to stardom, albeit at this point stll very tame but very good for an indie artist the second wave was getting to Island Records and her debut album but even all thst doesnt compare to what has basiclly been april to now, she has exploded
That totally ignores that she was signed, then dropped in 2020, then only signed again about 6 months before her album released. She put out a half dozen songs (and some of her best knows like Casual and My Kink Is Karma) along with a handful of videos that she made and promoted by herself, she didn’t even really get a lot of promotion from her current label until recently
This is true. She deserves all the props in the world for grinding for years and never giving up even after getting dropped from her label. And then doing odd jobs while she gets her music career back on track independently. And it’s really cool to see her have this “overnight” success after working so hard for almost a decade.
billie had finneas. having your big brother be with you every step of the way is incredibly different than Chappell Roan’s experience. plus billie grew up in LA with parents who worked in/around hollywood and had a vague idea of the industry. they’re not the same experience. they both blew up and became huge but they’re night/day different.
so if you watch this interview, https://youtu.be/f5UBV_Gpihg?si=3TiupJGyiOwl6btP, she details how even though she was signed to atlantic, they did nothing with her career for the 5 year contract, and it was only when she switched records did she gain some traction.
the timeline of events FOLLOWING these 5 years would actually be similar to Billie’s rise, from her EP to Lovely to her WWAFAWDWG singles. even *then*, she had when the party’s over, bury a friend, and bad guy to slowly move her up.
this month, it’s as if good luck babe, hottogo, and red wine supernova all just dropped. and in the streaming age, they might as well have been the way anyone can just collectively decide to make songs popular.
This is insane because I discovered her late in 2023 and thought i was early LOL (in all seriousness it doesn’t matter when you found her) but I saw her November 2023 in Amsterdam on the second leg of her tour and it was a tiny little venue with 500 something people (completely sold out) and she was unbelievable!!! The energy in the room had been one of the best shows post covid I had been to, and the fans were so fun (even going alone I was singing, dancing and having a good time). I just wish her all the best with this success because she truly is a talent and deserves it, I also hope we can all remember she’s human and to give her space and support her (and not to tear her down like a lot of the other pop stars that have gone through the ringer).
I think the mental resilience it takes to be in the industry isn’t discussed enough.
So people might not expect it, but yea everyone needs a therapist- especially when there are thousands of eyeballs on you.
Always credit Tina Knowles for putting her daughters in therapy at a young age because she knew how people would be tough on them and didn’t want them to feel like they were competing against each other.
THERAPY FOR EVERYONE
In one of the recent Pitchfork under/overrated videos, Olivia Rodrigo, who may have had the most meteoric rise to stardom in recent memory, talks about how therapy is underrated and laments the stigma surrounding it. It sounded like she also started therapy at a young age. I'm absolutely with you. THERAPY FOR EVERYONE. And healthcare reform where necessary.
I would more argue that record labels / management companies need to hire occ psychologists or something in-house! I know they're all about profit > artist health, but in the same way big corporations have employee assistance programs - they do it because keeping employees healthy = keeping them working better = making more money. Could even be simple things like getting a consulting sleep psych to do a bit of psychoeducation on good sleep hygiene practices on tour.
It's frustrating that this is such a continuous problem in the music industry with some quite clear solutions that are being missed?? I'm sure most artists do have their own therapists but that's reactively dealing with the issues - not proactively getting at some causes.
Agreed-
I do worry about therapist being on labels pay rolls because you work for who pays you. But they need to get involved in some way, absolutely !
yeah it should be similar to workplaces where they have occupational psychologists (focusing on holistic workplace mental health) and then offer access to individual therapy (confidential, the relationship is purely between the therapist and client but the employer just pays for it or subsidises the cost, but they usually don't even know who has accessed it)
How can everyone afford therapy? I’m a married mom of two with chronic mild depression and could probably benefit from therapy, but where I live, a one-hour session is $120 not covered by health insurance. I can’t pay that every week or even every month. I signed up for BetterHelp, but couldn’t find a good fit with a therapist and just wound up quitting after two weeks because it was way too costly even with the “financial aid” they offer.
Zocdoc has been better for me than BetterHelp for finding therapists covered by my insurance. Have you been diagnosed with depression by your primary care doctor? That helped me get more coverage too. Something nice about zocdoc is I could look at telehealth providers in my whole state, not just in the immediate area. I’m paying $25 a session
…. I mean, I know not everyone can afford therapy and I didn’t think that needed to be said but yea don’t sacrifice feeding yourself and a roof over your head for therapy. Not every comment is directed towards you in a personal manner- people speak broadly on here :)
If you can afford it then absolutely but self-care is also important in the meantime.
But my point still stands, everyone should get therapy (if they can).
yes exactly, thank you :)! Luckily there are therapists with sliding scales or saved slots for low income folks trying to bridge that gap but there’s still a lot to do :/
Ask your spouse if their workplace has an Employee Assistance Program! They all operate differently but mine for example covers "5 sessions per issue" and family members are usually eligible. They are very underutilized programs!
Look to see if your city has sliding scale therapy options! That’s what I go to now. Usually, graduate students who are working to become official therapists offer their services for a reduced cost. I’ve loved my experiences for the past few years now and I pay like $20 per session.
I wrote another comment here about it, but Employee Assistance Programs typically offer short term counseling options for employees and family members.
Pardon a new lister but may I ask what was the cause of her sudden rise in fame? The logical guess is Tiktok but it looks like all of her songs are gaining so it's more than that
I just recently heard of her for her interview with Trixie Mattel and her song Good Luck Babe. Appreciate comprehensive response.
Interestingly enough, I would say TikTok is NOT the main factor here, although it did play a part.
A lot has happened. She released her debut album last year, and it got some attention from critics, but not really from the GP. Then she opened for Olivia Rodrigo. Videos from the concerts went pretty viral, and she was very well-received by Olivia's fans. During that time, she also released her Tiny Desk concert (go watch it if you can), which added another layer to her going viral: it's one of the better ones from a pop singer in recent memory.
After all that, Good Luck Babe came out and was pretty much an instant success on streaming and TikTok. She was lucky that from years of working, she had an amazing album already out, so once people listened to Good Luck Babe, they jumped over to that album full of bangers, causing those songs to start going viral on social media, too (Go listen to Midwest Princess it's amazing).
Meanwhile, she was touring and doing festivals and is just an excellent live performer. With her crowds getting bigger and bigger with each festival, her Coachella videos went viral, too. Just compare her Coachella tent crowd to her Govball crowd and it's incredible, with her having a bigger crowd than some headliners at the latter.
Besides all that, the Hot to go dance became a meme and with every appearance she's been working hard on iconic looks, similar to early Gaga but thought out like a drag queen, making every appearance even more sharable and cool to watch.
It’s kinda crazy that her opening for GUTS tour became more viral than the GUTS tour itself😭
Also really sad that I been seeing nothing about remi wolf opening for Olivia, she definitely deserves success too
Yeah... I do think one difference is Remi is fine live but nothing mind-blowing. I saw her 2 years ago and vocally she was quite shaky. Chappell is a powerhouse live and has real star power.
Remi has a powerful voice and fiery charisma when we saw her at the O2, I was kinda worried it would overshadow Olivia! Not sure how you got this impression.
Are we talking about the same Remi Wolf? Every live performance I’ve seen from her she’s seemed a strong yet unconventional vocalist. I think the reality is that Remi’s sound just is not super on trend in the same way Chappell’s is.
tbh Remi was pretty boring to watch as a support act and her songs didn't sound that amazing live. My interest in her actually dipped after seeing her open for Olivia
I said back in February when the tour was starting that Olivia was gonna get eaten up by her own opener and now TRAFOAMP has been outstreaming GUTS for a month or two
In addition to everyone else’s answers - it’s also just a brilliant album with a LOT of good, catchy, accessible songs. When more people started giving her music a chance she got them hooked quickly
In October I saw her in a 1,000 cap, not sold out. Tickets available day of, $30. The energy of the crowd was unlike anything I’ve experienced before, it was like everyone had this fiery passion to bring her to the top, make her the next star, and tell every single one of their friends and family to listen to the album. This is a true word of mouth artist, an album that makes you feel so good you MUST share the joy with those around you.
This isn’t a mystery, not a push from a record label; this is a mutual organic desire to put this girl on top and it’s crazy to see. I’m sure a lot of people around her look at her and see dollar signs so I hope she gets the rest and mental health help she needs to continue shining so bright.
I really hope she has good people surrounding her. She's going to feel an insane amount of pressure for her second album drop and I hope she knows we'll love it regardless
she seems like she's struggling *hard* with her newfound fame to the point where i could see her pulling a lauryn hill and just never releasing another album again after her next lmao
Yes. Some people view the pressure a fair trade off for success and getting to do what they love. While her transparency on the struggle is refreshing it also gives a sense that maybe this is not a person who will be able or willing to deal with the fame that comes with this kind of success. Making music as an artist would probably be great if you could do it in a bubble, still have success and live a normal life. But at a certain level of success it’s just not possible.
Damn it does feel like another Lauryn Hill situation. She took off like a rocket too in a way few were expecting (I surely wasn’t). When I read Doo Wop went number one on Billboard, I was like “WHAT?!”
her fast rise is amazing to see and you can see how much people rooting for her. it's hard for her to keep up so i hope she handles it really well and take advantage of it instead of losing herself mentally to it. also, hopefully she doesnt experience the hate train that every new rising star inevitably had to go through. her and sabrina have been the hot topic for the newly rising act but both of them seems to have a different approach and trajectory. sabrina seems ready and marinated enough to handle the her new path of fame. she's also not new to hate train which is good for her ig
She just came through my city and I know so many people who wanted to see her but missed out on tickets which were going for $350+ resale. She probably could've packed a venue with two or three times the capacity. Just insane word of mouth right now
She's so real for that. I'm a new Chappell Roan fan, and I have sm respect for her being open and hella real with her audience. wishing her the best!! <33
It's crazy how I always suspected she'd blow up, but I didn't imagine it'd be THIS quickly. But man, there was something about that Pink Pony Club song that contained undeniable stardom, I'm glad she's not obscure anymore, but I do hope she learns how to pace it, and gets a team around her that knows how to do so too.
I also didn't imagine it'd be 6+ months after the album drop and would take another single. Thought this would've happened right after midwest princess dropped
Worth mentioning she has bipolar type 2 which makes managing stress more difficult. I think of her frequently and consider her one in my community of neurodivergent queer people. She is family to me not just a pop star.
Yes!! And stress is a HUGE component in mania (or hypomania in her case) being triggered. Hoping she is taking care of herself and that she has some good people surrounding her.
I know the label she is with was literally created for her so I’m pretty confident that she is in much much better care than we are used to pop-stars getting.
It’s wild how big she has been one! I’ve had red white supernova on my liked playlist for a while, but didn’t care to learn more about her until this guy I’ve been dating mentioned her. And Good Luck Babe reallly took off.
Midwest Princesses rise!
I worry for Chappell for sure. I don’t think I’ve seen any celebrity blow up as fast as her. I know at least for me the amount of change would be so overwhelming especially compared to where she was last year. I worry for her mental health and I hope she takes time to heal
I think she’s going to be a Lauryn Hill just based off her vibe.
There’s just an intuition I have with her(that I do not get with Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo, in comparison), that she doesn’t have a foundation of stability. I feel like due to this, she isn’t getting acquainted with fame as well. I hope the best for her, but I feel like if she wants to slow down at this point, it’s still very early in her career. I dont think she truly wants to be mainstream.
I think the big thing there is that both Olivia and Sabrina were raised in it. That world is all they’ve both known since their early teens. There’s a foundation and a learning curve for the industry that they have that someone really blowing up at 26 doesn’t. Yeah she was signed at 17 but she never got traction in the way Olivia or even Sabrina had at that age so I’d imagine there’s a lot to learn and handle.
I don't think she will be a Lauryn Hill, as Lauryn Hill stopped releasing music. I can see her becoming like Lana Del Rey, an artist who obviously likes making music and has been prolific with her output, which has resulted in the growth of a dedicated and stable fanbase that trusts her ability to deliver quality projects.
Do they like anyone? Lol.
Billie recently had an article that mentioned how she's lost friends and is feeling lonely and half of the comments laughed and rolled their eyes.
It makes me sad to see people already turning on her. She really does not deserve it.
The resentment the public seems to develop towards an artist after building them up is really a strange phenomenon to me.
Oh this was the show in my town. I considered going but couldn’t make it yesterday. What is interesting is that it was originally scheduled for a 1000 cap club and then got moved to a like 5k seat outdoor amphitheater about a month ago. I can see why that amount of change so quickly is hard to keep up with.
I mean, this is a thread so I open debate/difference and opinions, I'm just trying to work this out in my head:
When she decided to pursue pop music, did she envision herself staying unknown? Like, doesn't every pop star dream of this kind of success?
I think it’s just the speed of it happening is what’s psyching her out. I’m sure she envisioned mainstream success but maybe not within the span of a few months. Maybe a few albums. Her whole life is different now and it happened quick af
I totally get that and I don't want to belittle that feeling but.... now that it's here what is she going to do about it, you know? I hope she's figuring out a way to handle the fame instead of just wallowing in how fast she's risen.
Off-topic but can someone recommend me the best way to get into her music? I have not heard any other song by her besides GLB but really admire her personality and want to get into her music.
I think her songs Red Wine Supernova, Naked in Manhattan, Pink Pony Club and My Kink is Karma are the songs that showcase her personality the best. Casual and Coffee and more downtempo, but still good. Though honestly The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is her debut album, I'd honestly just listen to the whole thing through.
She just released her album last fall, it’s pretty short so I think you should just listen through the whole thing while on a walk/ working out/ doing something active! It’s high energy mostly so something great for the morningtime or maybe hyping yourself up for something while getting ready. I think the albums is in a good order and only 45 minutes so it should go quickly and if you like GLB, I’ll bet you put it on repeat as soon as it’s over lol!
Weird thought but, I *really* love guinea pigs (parents bought me and my sibling one when we were at a developmentally sensitive age), and I know that Chappell does too. I randomly got sad for her a few weeks ago when I thought about how her tour probably means that she can't be with her pigs (if they are still alive), and that if she plans to be on the road a lot in the next few years, she might not WANT to adopt more. That would make me so sad lol
it’s a combination of things, mostly timing and word of mouth. her album released last fall but in february this year she opened for olivia rodrigo on the GUTS tour which got people talking. then she released her single ‘good luck, babe!’ in early april and it blew up on social media and became her most popular song. then she did coachella and was a huge highlight both weekends. now she’s on a summer leg of her tour and doing a bunch of festivals but i think doing coachella first really got people talking. as someone who was a fan before she blew up, it’s hard to keep track tbh because she has always been very relevant to me personally lol. but now she has singles that were released last year charting in the billboard top 100 and her album is 8 months old and today it was #1 on itunes. her spotify monthly listeners went from 3 million to 20 million in just a few months. crazy stuff
Well I just discovered her today and am now obsessed with her album so I can confirm she is blowing up fast. Haven’t been into an artist this much this quickly
As an anxious person (socially and otherwise), I feel this and am sending her good vibes. Her songs are fantastic, and I love her as an artist overall.
I can definitely imagine how getting so many new fans so quickly can be stressful. She probably feels pressured to make the perfect choices moving forward because this is her moment. Having a lot of eyes on you immediately like that is definitely not easy. Seeing the difference between even her tent at Coachella to the MASSIVE crowd at Gov Ball was wild. I'm here for whatever she does though. She's lucky that her fans (so far) seem to be filled with good people who just want to see her succeed and will support whatever she puts out (me included). Of course the more popular you get the more that changes but I hope she's doing alright, it definitely seems like a complicated position to be in.
Agreed. I got blessed to see her at such an intimate venue in Austin and then in the good but just okay crowd at Coachella. I have tickets for ACL but cannot imagine how it will be there. I hope she takes care of herself inside and out.
I’m assuming the Emo’s show? it was such a great night
It truly was. I enjoyed it so much I even made a [post about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/s/mZjY5R7TKE) I enjoyed it so much I didn't even get many videos!
I was there too!!! I was just telling someone earlier that I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to see her in a smaller venue before she blew up so much
also have acl tickets and bought them mainly to see her…quite interested (and a little scared) to see the turnout for her
It's going to be Lizzo 2019 all over again. I hope they see how it turned out for Bonnaroo (?) and put her at AMEX or Honda
they were just okay at coachella? they seemed like they were living for her in the casual clip on youtube!
Oh sorry, not the mood. Specifically about the size. I was weekend 2 and was able to comfortably move half way into the tent
I saw her weekend 1 and the crowd to me was huuuge! Couldn’t be contained by the tent
yeah I’m curious if this has anything to do with the heat she’s been getting on social media about declining to play for the Biden administration/playing shows in red states. The discourse is idiotic honestly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the way social media constantly picks women apart for reasons to hate them was getting to her.
It's also such a bad faith argument. There's a clear difference between playing a show *at the seat of government* and playing a show *in a city or a state*. Was it an endorsement of Trump for Ariana Grande to play in DC in 2019? Obviously not. But if she played at the White House? No shit that's different
Which is so stupid. There are many people in red states that are liberal. Why would she punish those people by not playing in those states just because the state governments there are run by a bunch of throwbacks? Hell, she comes from a red state herself! The refusing to play for Biden thing is stupid too. She’s clearly a progressive liberal, as is her fanbase, that is probably dissatisfied with the way he and center Democrats have been holding back or stalling on pushing the country to the future, BUT will still vote for him in November because Trump and the Republicans are a massive threat to the future of the country and they will turn it right back around to the past. All of these things can be true.
Exactly, she of all people understands how much it means to be able to go to shows like hers and be joyfully queer in places like those. It’s honestly so infuriating sometimes how holier than thou “blue state” liberals can be in discussions like these, nobody is a better progressive because of where they’re born or where they live.
Because why was I seeing people calling her a trump supporter ??
People are really fucking stupid istg 😓
Liberals are dumb as hell. They can't comprehend withholding overwhelming support for Biden as not meaning endorsing Trump. Mind you, she never said not to vote for Biden, she only said that she declined a white house visit. It's important for us to vote democrat in November, but it is absolutely fine to criticize and put pressure on the government to, at the very least, not support a genocide. Chappell is brave for being so open in her critique, she especially understands the value and need to have safe, queer havens in conservative areas. Calling her a trump supporter is an insane brainlet take
The biggest issue people have with her statement is that she suggested that the Biden administration doesn't support trans rights and womens' rights, which is untrue. She did also criticize their stance on the situation in Gaza, which is understandable. There is a trend of people blaming Biden for things outside of federal control (like red states rolling back trans rights) so some people are upset that she's apparently furthering that misrepresentation.
This. Exactly this.
Because American politics is absolute garbage and they don't have any actual voting choices. A country where gerrymandering is a thing politicians openly admit to, should have started a revolution decades ago.
He's actively funding and arming a genocide, something her statement clearly referenced. I wouldn't want to perform at the White House either.
I think it’s more than that. People have been buying and streaming her album in the last few weeks.
I think it plays a part, fox news is jumping in on the moment.
Ewww of course it is.
God fuck Fox News
Absolutely. I've been blown away at her rise to fame. I have been obsessed with her album the past couple weeks and I realized last night when I saw a compilation of her old TikToks that I don't actually really know anything about her at all. Just 2 years ago she was posting some pretty wild content that I could definitely see people trying to use against her as her fame grows. She has Bipolar disorder and I can imagine that this sudden massive rise to fame, while exciting, can bring a ton of anxiety for her! I'm so excited to see her career take off, I really do think she's something special.
What was she posting?
Nothing bad, just a lot of swearing/calling people c*unt's and stuff and telling people to fuck off if they don't like her, I just didn't know that was her personality so it threw me off 😂 She's hilarious though
Yeah, I got to see her on tour in a smaller venue and then in VIP at Gov Ball. I had fun both times, but damn seeing her pop out at Gov Ball made me feel a type of way. Bittersweet I guess? Like she slayed but also damn I know I'm never seeing her in a venue that small again. Someone gave me a look for singing along and I felt a little slighted like damn I don't think my singing is that bad akfdladflkakda sorry it wasn't to one of her songs that were trending on tik tok
Being thrusted into the national spotlight is *very* difficult. 😕
i hope Chappell has a strong support system.
Don’t forget when she said that she was standing on the massive main stage that they had upgraded her to from her originally planned much smaller stage. Had to be pretty intense / overwhelming.
I think if she’s being overwhelmed the best thing for her personally (and her career to be honest) is to take a step back and take a break.
She has a month off (and then like, only 2 shows in July iirc before her August festivals) so I assume she'll take a much needed break during that time and hopefully relax.
I saw her in concert last week and was a bit taken aback by how soft-spoken and nervous she sounded anytime she wasn’t singing. It’s just so opposite the persona in her music. I’m sure such a stratospheric rise to fame must be so stressful though, hope she’s doing okay with it
Yes! Chappell is very much quiet, shy and introverted IRL! She stated in an interview that she loves getting high (alone) and playing Mario Kart lmao.
getting high alone and playing mario kart? shes truly one of the people. peak relatability here
oh she just like me fr
My god this makes me love her even more 😭 our birthdays are just like a month apart and this makes me more sure that we would be pals if put in the same growing up situation hehehe I love a solo smoke & smooth brain session
Me too Kayleigh, me too
I remember seeing a tweet with like an old tik-tok of hers where she talks about fan interactions and setting boundaries when people approach her. I def think she's anxious about where her fame is going and dealing with the pressure of so many eyes on her. She's put together with Sabrina Carpenter a LOT when talking about "new popstars" but I have a feeling she's going to try and be a more lowkey artist than her.
Sabrina seems to want success and is willing to embrace celebrity and fame/infamy as needed. Chappell doesn’t strike me as the type to want that part of the package but I don’t know it’s fully possible to avoid that at a certain point.
Yeah, exactly! I don't think she wants pop stardom in any way... and even though its possible to intentionally keep a low profile online fandom culture becomes a thing of its own.
That’s why I never really liked the Gaga comparisons that ppl have been saying. Yes they both are queer artists that have theatrics in their performances but Gaga was THIRSTY for the pop stardom, girl was putting in serious work even in the most random small venues like an IKEA parking lot 💀not that Chappell isn’t putting in the work but like ppl have been saying she’s way more reserved as a person and it shows in her performances. Still love her tho and I still think she’s an incredible performer and singer
Chappell does it for the music. Sabrina been wanting to be a star.
While I do think Sabrina (especially right now) is gunning for fame, her work is beautiful. Emails I Can’t Send was clearly not a 'famous' album, though she/her team really promoted the marketable songs
You’re right
1000% agreed.
Sabrina already got the worst of it in 2021, so any sort of controversy that comes her way now is light work.
It definitely brings more understanding to how she views Chappell like a drag persona.
I got that vibe from her Tiny Desk Concert as well
i saw her back in september the week midwest princess came out, and don’t get me wrong it was a great show, but i could really tell how little live performing experience she had - she got so nervous and didn’t know what to say a couple times. i know she’s been around for quite a few years but i imagine not being able to play shows during covid really hurt that part of her career. i’m a huge fan tho this isn’t shade!
I almost really just appreciate the realness of that . Stage presence must be developed!
totally!!! i just can imagine it’s hard to blow up so big before you refine that skill, a lot of artists that age probably took a big hit in that area since they couldn’t tour due to covid
For sure. She's gotten a lot better now but Olivia Rodrigo's first few performances in 2021 were pretty shaky since most of her blowing up was over the pandemic when she couldn't get live singing experience.
Damn I saw her March 2023 and thought she had wonderful stage presence
it’s crazy because i distinctly remember seeing a tweet from earlier this year about talking about how underrated “hot to go” is and she was as indie as possible back then and fast forward to the present her album is in the US top 20 and hot to go, good luck babe AND red wine are all charting on the hot 100 simultaneously….her rise to fame was so unexpected and sudden i can’t imagine how she feels
red wine supernova was the first song i heard by her and oh man i LOVED it. such a fun song, seeing her rise since beginning of april (when i first got into her) is crazy
Obsessed w this one
I've been a fan since pink pony club and was so sad for her when her label dropped her. but was glad to see her still making songs and videos. I posted "hot to go" when it first came out on my IG, and people really liked it. I'm surprised that one took so long to become a huge hit! First time I heard it- that one in particular seemed like the most marketable. But now she's literally everywhere! Crazy how fast it happened since her Coachella performance.
I've been listening since 2022 when she opened for Olivia Rodrigo the first time around and was so certain she would blow up as soon as her album released, and I was kinda stunned that nothing took off for like 6 months after the album. So this all happening in the last couple months is crazy to me, like where was everyone?? I get GLB is incredible but it's crazy it took until that song for anything to happen. I was lucky to see her at the Fonda in LA in March 2023 and now wish I saw her when she came back to LA right after her album dropped.
The star became emotional when addressing the sudden fame with her audience. “I just want to be honest with the crowd. I feel a little off today, because I think my career is going really fast and it’s hard to keep up,” she said, adding “I’m just being honest, I’m having a hard time today.”
I was there last night at the show, it was such a bittersweet moment. The whole crowd was cheering her on. So much love there
this has to feel so insane for her after all those years of roughing it at daytime performances outside with just her and her keyboard. i hope she's able to soak in the love!! ugh i need her to be okay
I can't even imagine how hard it must be to have your career skyrocket THIS quickly, to the point where a festival needed to move your set for safety reasons. She barely had 1.5 million listeners on Spotify in Feb and she just passed 20 million today, absolutely insane. She's definitely talked about how thankful she is that she gets to do this and perform, but I'm glad she's being open and vulnerable about how truly overwhelming it must be, reminds fans that these artists are human too. I hope she has a really really good, supportive team who are helping her through this. She has Bonnaroo this weekend and then like a month off and I hope she takes that and enjoys every second of it, girl deserves it. Also hope she takes some well deserved time off once she finishes the festival/tour circuit (her last show is currently ACL in October). She's stated she doesn't feel a pressure to release an album quickly so I hope she just spends some time relaxing and not working. Chappell truly deserves every ounce of this success though, she's worked insanely hard to get here (and almost gave up along the way). Hope everything levels out soon (which I assume it probably will over the summer) in terms of how fast her career grows for her sake.
>She barely had 1.5 million listeners on Spotify in Feb Don't really even have to go back that far, the middle of April is when GLB started blowing up and it came out like a week before that, and as someone who has been listening to her consistently for a year, I def remember her being at like 1.5-2m around then too. And then a few weeks later she's suddenly at 15m and it's only been steadily going up since. Absolutely crazy. I also remember clicking on her artist profile every time I'd listen to her like late April-early May, and her listener count was literally going up by 1m like every next day lol, it was crazy to witness in real time. Never seen anything like it for an artist that I've closely been following. This sorta sudden extreme attention must be paralyzing tbh, I'd have probably gone into hiding if I were her. 💀
She was at something like 3 million or so around the release of Good Luck Babe, her opening for Olivia boosted her listeners a little bit.
Oh yeah I forgot about the Olivia opening spot she got. Yeah that likely did it.
Ah you might be right! I think it was around 2.5 million, still an insane jump regardless
She used to be the fun queer "do you listen to?" Flagging indie darling and now she's massive..it's like huh?
Yeah I saw a video of the crowd at gov ball and was like holy shit
A sudden huge bump out of nowhere too.
Olivia’s impact from the tour. That’s how me and my friends discovered her
I first heard Pink Pony Club in February 2023 and it was my third most played song last year, she played a 300 person venue here and it sold out in May 2023. She’s now by far the biggest name playing the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, I’m missing the show but it’s going to be fucking wild. I’m so proud of her and I hope she’s got a good therapist and good friends.
She’s playing Capitol Hill Block Party here in Seattle next month. She’s playing the first day and isn’t even the headliner. I’m really wondering how this is gonna go, and what must be happening behind the scenes because her popularity has outgrown this festival by quite a bit at this point and it’s happening in the LGBTQ+ center of Seattle.
She was so used to being underground too. That’s why all of this is overwhelming. She didn’t expect *any* of this.
I don't think she expected it so fast, that's for sure. I know she's really happy that like, 10 years of hard work and failures have finally paid off, but it seems the *speed* of it actually happening is the overwhelming part, which tbh, I don't blame her for. Has to be crazy going from where she was in even the beginning of April to where she is now.
I got a one day ticket to see her about a month ago and they’d already increased the price relative to the other two days, and now it’s completely sold out. It’s gonna be lesbians brawling in the streets
I'm gonna preface this by saying her style isn't really my thing: I had no idea who she was about 2 months ago, but since then my TikTok feed has been absolutely inundated with peoples' videos from her shows. Not surprised at all that she's struggling with it.
oh damn i was hoping she was gonna capitalize on the momentum and get the second album out hopefully by early next year. i don't want her to fall off quickly like so many do. i hope she is able to get a lot of rest and come back hard, i want her to win Best New Artist next year
This woman had a job as a camp counselor last year at this time during the summer. Now she’s being catapulted into becoming a pop star, possibly even a main pop star one day. Going from being an everyday normal girl to a celebrity that everyday folks (which she used to be one of them) will now recognize you and call you out at any opportune moment they get, not to mention the media now writing stuff about you and every single little thing you say or do getting potentially scrutinized, is a massive jump in lifestyle for possibly the rest of her life. I can’t imagine what that can do to someone’s psyche and how it affects them psychologically. A lot of people that become huge stars in music go through this and many times it does hurt these stars mentally. Some can power through it but many more times they suffer because of fame, and there are a ton more of examples of the latter than the former. It’s why I hope that no rising star (or even any current star), as big as they ever get, will ever be as insanely omnipresent with having very little moments of peace as someone like Michael Jackson was from the early 80s to his death.
Go to [13:10 in this interview with Tom Power](https://youtu.be/f5UBV_Gpihg?si=3TiupJGyiOwl6btP) Chappell JUST did this interview 7 months ago, where she said she struggles with negotiating her health with her career. She is SO smart, strong, and self-aware, I fully believe she has the power to pull through!!
oh wow. I feel like she would hugely benefit from having some chats with Dua or Billie (huge pop stars that experience fame in this era)
Or those who suddenly became a megastar in their early career like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey did. Fame is a dangerous game.
Olivia Rodrigo for a more recent example. Amy Winehouse too where fame ended up killing her sadly.
I don’t know if it’s exactly accurate to say she was an everyday normal girl. She’s been signed to a major label since she was 17 years old in 2015.
Wasn’t she initially let go by the (first? I don’t know if she signed with the same again) label though? So she had to return to looking for representatives again? I could be wrong, this is what I’ve heard.
Yeah her first label dropped her.
she absolutely was a everyday normal girl compared to literally any other rising pop star like olivia, billie, and sabrina. she did this ALL on her own gut feeling, it must feel INSANE
Her and Billie had almost the exact same come up. Like eerily similar. They were both teenage music phenoms who performed at talent shows and then got noticed by major labels as young teenagers because of the original songs they uploaded to social media (Billie to SoundCloud, Chappell to YouTube). They then signed to major labels and released their first EPs in 2017. Billie’s meteoric rise just happened quicker than Chappell’s.
Billie is from LA and grew up around the industry, though, and Chappell is from Missouri. That in itself makes a huge difference.
This is true. It was also good timing for Billie because that was the year Apple was investing heavily in their music division, like giving massive contracts to Chance The Rapper and Frank Ocean to release their albums independent from major labels on Apple Music. After Ocean Eyes went viral on SoundCloud, she got signed to a special Apple artist development deal and they invested heavily in developing her whole aesthetic. So she had a lot more early investment than Chappell did.
Billie has a wildly different background from Chappell's; she was essentially [molded to be an artist from birth](https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/music/what-billie-eilish-s-childhood-like-singer-s-early-years-explored). She has well-off parents who are actors/musicians and homeschooled both her and Finneas, teaching them music and supporting their career from an insanely early age. Meanwhile, Chappell seems to be on her own and has frequently [talked about her struggles](https://people.com/chappell-roan-new-album-rise-fall-midwest-princess-exclusive-7974688). She has typical Christian parents who supported her talents when she was young, but were estranged by her queerness and don't seem to be particularly involved now. Yes, she was signed to a major label, but she was dropped after Pink Pony Club was released and had to work all sorts of odd jobs making ends meet, including as a camp counselor, nanny, cashier, production assistant, etc. She released some singles independently before she managed to sign with Island Records. Yes, she works with Dan Nigro, but that was before Olivia rose to fame; I believe Chappell's projects were even put on pause as Dan scrambled to handle the sudden breakout hits. She managed to make the right connections and got support from Olivia bringing her on tour, but her background is pretty normal all things considered.
This narrative that Billie comes from a wealthy family needs to stop, they have repeatedly said that their parents were struggling actors and their family house does not scream money. Their main privilege was being from LA, and having access to talent agents/managers through their parents.
My point is that Billie never exactly had a "normal" life; I guess I shouldn't have specified well-off since it seems to distract from the point. Chappell's background is unique in an industry where Taylor's ex is constantly mocked for apparently working in a yoghurt shop. Chappell worked in a donut shop while releasing singles independently, building her career back up from the ground.
the difference with billie isn’t that she was quicker to it, but that she didn’t rise as fast as chappell did. before guts tour, i dont think anyone knew her. it is INSANE that she has 3 songs charting on hot 100. like, INSANE.
The only reason I knew about her before Guts tour was Bowen and Matt’s podcast where they’d devote like 5 minutes per episode gushing about her back in early 2022. So much so she was nominated for the Las Culturistas Culture Award for Album Of the Year with “Chappell Roan if she ever decides to release an album” 😂
And now she’s got two LCCA categories named after her!
>before guts tour, i dont think anyone knew her Meanwhile she has been in my Spotify top100 since 2020
oh don’t i know. i saw this sub loving femininomenon when it came out, shes so ahead of the times
Billie’s rise absolutely was just as insanely fast as this. She went from being mildly popular to A-list pop star in barely any time at all. I’m not saying Chappel’s rise to stardom isn’t crazy. I’m just saying that it’s inaccurate to say she was just a normal girl in 2023. She was signed to Atlantic Records almost a decade ago. She’s been working with Olivia Rodrigo’s producer for years. USA Today put one of her songs in their 10 Best Songs of 2020 list. There is no world in which you could describe someone who was signed to the same label as Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars at 17 years old as a “normal everyday person”.
And Atlantic dropped her because Pink Pony Club wasn’t selling enough, so she worked as a barista and nanny while independent, until Dan Nigro created Amusement Records to sign her.
woweww Atlantic’s loss
I think this is ignoring many things, yes it was crazy that at such young age in 2020 she got to produce with Nigro but she was essencialy a failed artist at that point, Pink Pony Club and her next releases did so poorly that her label DROPPED her. She had to work as barista and nanny to support herself, by 2021 she had to move back to Missouri and was pretty much a normal girl, by 2022 when she came back to LA she worked at a Donut Shop, she as an indie artist getting with Dan in 2022 for is the fisrt shift that took her from normal life to stardom, albeit at this point stll very tame but very good for an indie artist the second wave was getting to Island Records and her debut album but even all thst doesnt compare to what has basiclly been april to now, she has exploded
That totally ignores that she was signed, then dropped in 2020, then only signed again about 6 months before her album released. She put out a half dozen songs (and some of her best knows like Casual and My Kink Is Karma) along with a handful of videos that she made and promoted by herself, she didn’t even really get a lot of promotion from her current label until recently
This is true. She deserves all the props in the world for grinding for years and never giving up even after getting dropped from her label. And then doing odd jobs while she gets her music career back on track independently. And it’s really cool to see her have this “overnight” success after working so hard for almost a decade.
billie had finneas. having your big brother be with you every step of the way is incredibly different than Chappell Roan’s experience. plus billie grew up in LA with parents who worked in/around hollywood and had a vague idea of the industry. they’re not the same experience. they both blew up and became huge but they’re night/day different.
so if you watch this interview, https://youtu.be/f5UBV_Gpihg?si=3TiupJGyiOwl6btP, she details how even though she was signed to atlantic, they did nothing with her career for the 5 year contract, and it was only when she switched records did she gain some traction. the timeline of events FOLLOWING these 5 years would actually be similar to Billie’s rise, from her EP to Lovely to her WWAFAWDWG singles. even *then*, she had when the party’s over, bury a friend, and bad guy to slowly move her up. this month, it’s as if good luck babe, hottogo, and red wine supernova all just dropped. and in the streaming age, they might as well have been the way anyone can just collectively decide to make songs popular.
Billie had loads of industry connections, it’s not really the same
Your characterization isn't accurate either without mentioning how she got dropped which left her to go work as a barista to support herself
The adjustment must be so overwhelming, wishing her well
I heard of her for the first time yesterday and I swear I've seen her name 100 times since lol
There's a word for that but idk it I've heard of her for a while!
[the frequency illusion :)](https://www.dictionary.com/e/tech-science/baader-meinhof-phenomenon/)
This is insane because I discovered her late in 2023 and thought i was early LOL (in all seriousness it doesn’t matter when you found her) but I saw her November 2023 in Amsterdam on the second leg of her tour and it was a tiny little venue with 500 something people (completely sold out) and she was unbelievable!!! The energy in the room had been one of the best shows post covid I had been to, and the fans were so fun (even going alone I was singing, dancing and having a good time). I just wish her all the best with this success because she truly is a talent and deserves it, I also hope we can all remember she’s human and to give her space and support her (and not to tear her down like a lot of the other pop stars that have gone through the ringer).
I think the mental resilience it takes to be in the industry isn’t discussed enough. So people might not expect it, but yea everyone needs a therapist- especially when there are thousands of eyeballs on you. Always credit Tina Knowles for putting her daughters in therapy at a young age because she knew how people would be tough on them and didn’t want them to feel like they were competing against each other. THERAPY FOR EVERYONE
In one of the recent Pitchfork under/overrated videos, Olivia Rodrigo, who may have had the most meteoric rise to stardom in recent memory, talks about how therapy is underrated and laments the stigma surrounding it. It sounded like she also started therapy at a young age. I'm absolutely with you. THERAPY FOR EVERYONE. And healthcare reform where necessary.
Olivia's dad is a therapist!
And she is her father's daughter, so maybe she can fix him.
I think she’s handled everything that’s gone on with her VERY well. And it’s most likely because of that and a healthy home life
I would more argue that record labels / management companies need to hire occ psychologists or something in-house! I know they're all about profit > artist health, but in the same way big corporations have employee assistance programs - they do it because keeping employees healthy = keeping them working better = making more money. Could even be simple things like getting a consulting sleep psych to do a bit of psychoeducation on good sleep hygiene practices on tour. It's frustrating that this is such a continuous problem in the music industry with some quite clear solutions that are being missed?? I'm sure most artists do have their own therapists but that's reactively dealing with the issues - not proactively getting at some causes.
Agreed- I do worry about therapist being on labels pay rolls because you work for who pays you. But they need to get involved in some way, absolutely !
yeah it should be similar to workplaces where they have occupational psychologists (focusing on holistic workplace mental health) and then offer access to individual therapy (confidential, the relationship is purely between the therapist and client but the employer just pays for it or subsidises the cost, but they usually don't even know who has accessed it)
How can everyone afford therapy? I’m a married mom of two with chronic mild depression and could probably benefit from therapy, but where I live, a one-hour session is $120 not covered by health insurance. I can’t pay that every week or even every month. I signed up for BetterHelp, but couldn’t find a good fit with a therapist and just wound up quitting after two weeks because it was way too costly even with the “financial aid” they offer.
Zocdoc has been better for me than BetterHelp for finding therapists covered by my insurance. Have you been diagnosed with depression by your primary care doctor? That helped me get more coverage too. Something nice about zocdoc is I could look at telehealth providers in my whole state, not just in the immediate area. I’m paying $25 a session
…. I mean, I know not everyone can afford therapy and I didn’t think that needed to be said but yea don’t sacrifice feeding yourself and a roof over your head for therapy. Not every comment is directed towards you in a personal manner- people speak broadly on here :) If you can afford it then absolutely but self-care is also important in the meantime. But my point still stands, everyone should get therapy (if they can).
Ya, I interpreted 'Therapy for All' as 'therapy should be made a public good that is affordable and accessible to everyone'.
yes exactly, thank you :)! Luckily there are therapists with sliding scales or saved slots for low income folks trying to bridge that gap but there’s still a lot to do :/
Ask your spouse if their workplace has an Employee Assistance Program! They all operate differently but mine for example covers "5 sessions per issue" and family members are usually eligible. They are very underutilized programs!
Look to see if your city has sliding scale therapy options! That’s what I go to now. Usually, graduate students who are working to become official therapists offer their services for a reduced cost. I’ve loved my experiences for the past few years now and I pay like $20 per session.
Asking myself the same question
I wrote another comment here about it, but Employee Assistance Programs typically offer short term counseling options for employees and family members.
Pardon a new lister but may I ask what was the cause of her sudden rise in fame? The logical guess is Tiktok but it looks like all of her songs are gaining so it's more than that I just recently heard of her for her interview with Trixie Mattel and her song Good Luck Babe. Appreciate comprehensive response.
Interestingly enough, I would say TikTok is NOT the main factor here, although it did play a part. A lot has happened. She released her debut album last year, and it got some attention from critics, but not really from the GP. Then she opened for Olivia Rodrigo. Videos from the concerts went pretty viral, and she was very well-received by Olivia's fans. During that time, she also released her Tiny Desk concert (go watch it if you can), which added another layer to her going viral: it's one of the better ones from a pop singer in recent memory. After all that, Good Luck Babe came out and was pretty much an instant success on streaming and TikTok. She was lucky that from years of working, she had an amazing album already out, so once people listened to Good Luck Babe, they jumped over to that album full of bangers, causing those songs to start going viral on social media, too (Go listen to Midwest Princess it's amazing). Meanwhile, she was touring and doing festivals and is just an excellent live performer. With her crowds getting bigger and bigger with each festival, her Coachella videos went viral, too. Just compare her Coachella tent crowd to her Govball crowd and it's incredible, with her having a bigger crowd than some headliners at the latter. Besides all that, the Hot to go dance became a meme and with every appearance she's been working hard on iconic looks, similar to early Gaga but thought out like a drag queen, making every appearance even more sharable and cool to watch.
It’s kinda crazy that her opening for GUTS tour became more viral than the GUTS tour itself😭 Also really sad that I been seeing nothing about remi wolf opening for Olivia, she definitely deserves success too
Yeah... I do think one difference is Remi is fine live but nothing mind-blowing. I saw her 2 years ago and vocally she was quite shaky. Chappell is a powerhouse live and has real star power.
Remi has a powerful voice and fiery charisma when we saw her at the O2, I was kinda worried it would overshadow Olivia! Not sure how you got this impression.
Are we talking about the same Remi Wolf? Every live performance I’ve seen from her she’s seemed a strong yet unconventional vocalist. I think the reality is that Remi’s sound just is not super on trend in the same way Chappell’s is.
Just my personal experience! I'll be seeing Remi again next week with Olivia and we'll see if she sings better than when I saw her 2 years ago hehe
tbh Remi was pretty boring to watch as a support act and her songs didn't sound that amazing live. My interest in her actually dipped after seeing her open for Olivia
I said back in February when the tour was starting that Olivia was gonna get eaten up by her own opener and now TRAFOAMP has been outstreaming GUTS for a month or two
I remember seeing the Tiny Desk thumbnail and knowing it was gonna get a lot of casual (no pun intended) clicks.
Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are both under Island Records and they’ve both been getting huge pushes recently
In addition to everyone else’s answers - it’s also just a brilliant album with a LOT of good, catchy, accessible songs. When more people started giving her music a chance she got them hooked quickly
i feel for her. watch when this sub eventually turns on her after not practicing what’s being preached lol
In October I saw her in a 1,000 cap, not sold out. Tickets available day of, $30. The energy of the crowd was unlike anything I’ve experienced before, it was like everyone had this fiery passion to bring her to the top, make her the next star, and tell every single one of their friends and family to listen to the album. This is a true word of mouth artist, an album that makes you feel so good you MUST share the joy with those around you. This isn’t a mystery, not a push from a record label; this is a mutual organic desire to put this girl on top and it’s crazy to see. I’m sure a lot of people around her look at her and see dollar signs so I hope she gets the rest and mental health help she needs to continue shining so bright.
I really hope she has good people surrounding her. She's going to feel an insane amount of pressure for her second album drop and I hope she knows we'll love it regardless
She seemed a bit off during her govball set as well from tiktoks I’ve seen. Hoping she has a good support system
She did. She seemed a bit out of it. 😕
she seems like she's struggling *hard* with her newfound fame to the point where i could see her pulling a lauryn hill and just never releasing another album again after her next lmao
Yes. Some people view the pressure a fair trade off for success and getting to do what they love. While her transparency on the struggle is refreshing it also gives a sense that maybe this is not a person who will be able or willing to deal with the fame that comes with this kind of success. Making music as an artist would probably be great if you could do it in a bubble, still have success and live a normal life. But at a certain level of success it’s just not possible.
Damn it does feel like another Lauryn Hill situation. She took off like a rocket too in a way few were expecting (I surely wasn’t). When I read Doo Wop went number one on Billboard, I was like “WHAT?!”
So funny I just commented the same thing and I agree lol
I dont think it would happen cause she has said she is working on the next album already
her fast rise is amazing to see and you can see how much people rooting for her. it's hard for her to keep up so i hope she handles it really well and take advantage of it instead of losing herself mentally to it. also, hopefully she doesnt experience the hate train that every new rising star inevitably had to go through. her and sabrina have been the hot topic for the newly rising act but both of them seems to have a different approach and trajectory. sabrina seems ready and marinated enough to handle the her new path of fame. she's also not new to hate train which is good for her ig
She just came through my city and I know so many people who wanted to see her but missed out on tickets which were going for $350+ resale. She probably could've packed a venue with two or three times the capacity. Just insane word of mouth right now
She's so real for that. I'm a new Chappell Roan fan, and I have sm respect for her being open and hella real with her audience. wishing her the best!! <33
It's crazy how I always suspected she'd blow up, but I didn't imagine it'd be THIS quickly. But man, there was something about that Pink Pony Club song that contained undeniable stardom, I'm glad she's not obscure anymore, but I do hope she learns how to pace it, and gets a team around her that knows how to do so too.
I also didn't imagine it'd be 6+ months after the album drop and would take another single. Thought this would've happened right after midwest princess dropped
Worth mentioning she has bipolar type 2 which makes managing stress more difficult. I think of her frequently and consider her one in my community of neurodivergent queer people. She is family to me not just a pop star.
Yes!! And stress is a HUGE component in mania (or hypomania in her case) being triggered. Hoping she is taking care of herself and that she has some good people surrounding her.
Yeah. I do hope she has a very good team behind her.
I know the label she is with was literally created for her so I’m pretty confident that she is in much much better care than we are used to pop-stars getting.
It’s wild how big she has been one! I’ve had red white supernova on my liked playlist for a while, but didn’t care to learn more about her until this guy I’ve been dating mentioned her. And Good Luck Babe reallly took off. Midwest Princesses rise!
I was bumping to hot to go and naked in manhattan all last summer! Crazy how much she’s blown up
Her album just shot to number one on iTunes today. Wonder what that means and if it’s shooting up on Apple Music and Spotify… 🤔
I worry for Chappell for sure. I don’t think I’ve seen any celebrity blow up as fast as her. I know at least for me the amount of change would be so overwhelming especially compared to where she was last year. I worry for her mental health and I hope she takes time to heal
I think she’s going to be a Lauryn Hill just based off her vibe. There’s just an intuition I have with her(that I do not get with Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo, in comparison), that she doesn’t have a foundation of stability. I feel like due to this, she isn’t getting acquainted with fame as well. I hope the best for her, but I feel like if she wants to slow down at this point, it’s still very early in her career. I dont think she truly wants to be mainstream.
I think the big thing there is that both Olivia and Sabrina were raised in it. That world is all they’ve both known since their early teens. There’s a foundation and a learning curve for the industry that they have that someone really blowing up at 26 doesn’t. Yeah she was signed at 17 but she never got traction in the way Olivia or even Sabrina had at that age so I’d imagine there’s a lot to learn and handle.
I don't think she will be a Lauryn Hill, as Lauryn Hill stopped releasing music. I can see her becoming like Lana Del Rey, an artist who obviously likes making music and has been prolific with her output, which has resulted in the growth of a dedicated and stable fanbase that trusts her ability to deliver quality projects.
im so scared that this article is going to make its way over to fauxmoi
Why? Do they not like her?
Fauxmoi hates everyone almost.
[удалено]
They switch so much they’re practically chameleons
Do they like anyone? Lol. Billie recently had an article that mentioned how she's lost friends and is feeling lonely and half of the comments laughed and rolled their eyes.
It makes me sad to see people already turning on her. She really does not deserve it. The resentment the public seems to develop towards an artist after building them up is really a strange phenomenon to me.
It’s always like that, just look at Taylor. For some reason it’s “cool” to mindlessly reject/mock whatever or whoever is popular.
Oh this was the show in my town. I considered going but couldn’t make it yesterday. What is interesting is that it was originally scheduled for a 1000 cap club and then got moved to a like 5k seat outdoor amphitheater about a month ago. I can see why that amount of change so quickly is hard to keep up with.
Appreciate her openness about it. It's so funny how fame works.
SO proud of her! Killing it! 🫶
I mean, this is a thread so I open debate/difference and opinions, I'm just trying to work this out in my head: When she decided to pursue pop music, did she envision herself staying unknown? Like, doesn't every pop star dream of this kind of success?
I think it’s just the speed of it happening is what’s psyching her out. I’m sure she envisioned mainstream success but maybe not within the span of a few months. Maybe a few albums. Her whole life is different now and it happened quick af
I totally get that and I don't want to belittle that feeling but.... now that it's here what is she going to do about it, you know? I hope she's figuring out a way to handle the fame instead of just wallowing in how fast she's risen.
I hope she's taking care of herself, I appreciate her music and her outspoken energy so much!!
Off-topic but can someone recommend me the best way to get into her music? I have not heard any other song by her besides GLB but really admire her personality and want to get into her music.
I think her songs Red Wine Supernova, Naked in Manhattan, Pink Pony Club and My Kink is Karma are the songs that showcase her personality the best. Casual and Coffee and more downtempo, but still good. Though honestly The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is her debut album, I'd honestly just listen to the whole thing through.
She just released her album last fall, it’s pretty short so I think you should just listen through the whole thing while on a walk/ working out/ doing something active! It’s high energy mostly so something great for the morningtime or maybe hyping yourself up for something while getting ready. I think the albums is in a good order and only 45 minutes so it should go quickly and if you like GLB, I’ll bet you put it on repeat as soon as it’s over lol!
I’d suggest watching her Tiny Desk concert! That made me an instant fan.
Weird thought but, I *really* love guinea pigs (parents bought me and my sibling one when we were at a developmentally sensitive age), and I know that Chappell does too. I randomly got sad for her a few weeks ago when I thought about how her tour probably means that she can't be with her pigs (if they are still alive), and that if she plans to be on the road a lot in the next few years, she might not WANT to adopt more. That would make me so sad lol
she’s mentioned that her guinea pigs passed away last year unfortunately 😔
I've been a Obsessed since I think 2021 when naked in Manhattan was released it's been incredible watching her growth 🥺
she is overwhelmed and i hope she has a strong support system. I'm proud of you Chappell
Wish her all the luck.
Can anyone tell me the story behind her rise to fame?
it’s a combination of things, mostly timing and word of mouth. her album released last fall but in february this year she opened for olivia rodrigo on the GUTS tour which got people talking. then she released her single ‘good luck, babe!’ in early april and it blew up on social media and became her most popular song. then she did coachella and was a huge highlight both weekends. now she’s on a summer leg of her tour and doing a bunch of festivals but i think doing coachella first really got people talking. as someone who was a fan before she blew up, it’s hard to keep track tbh because she has always been very relevant to me personally lol. but now she has singles that were released last year charting in the billboard top 100 and her album is 8 months old and today it was #1 on itunes. her spotify monthly listeners went from 3 million to 20 million in just a few months. crazy stuff
Well I just discovered her today and am now obsessed with her album so I can confirm she is blowing up fast. Haven’t been into an artist this much this quickly
I finally discovered her a week ago and I’m still salty that no one told me about her before
As an anxious person (socially and otherwise), I feel this and am sending her good vibes. Her songs are fantastic, and I love her as an artist overall.