Chappell Roan is the name on everyone’s lips in 2025. She’s known for her upbeat indie pop songs like “Pink Pony Club” and “Hot to Go!” as well as her slower, more introspective sapphic hits, such as “Casual” and “Good Luck, Babe!” Following her success with her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which gained popularity in 2024, Roan released two additional Billboard hits: the emotional pop track “Good Luck, Babe!” in April 2024 and “The Giver,” her self-described “lesbian country song,” in March 2025.
While on stage, Roan is alive with energy and spunk. For Governor’s Ball in June 2024, Roan, dressed as a risqué Statue of Liberty, emerged from a gigantic apple, smoking a comically large joint. During a performance in August 2024, she lightly teased the VIP section for not dancing to “Hot to Go!” saying, “It’s so weird that VIP thinks they’re so way too cool to do this!”
The Statue of Liberty ensemble is but one of many memorable Chappell Roan outfits. Roan is noted for her elaborate, drag-inspired looks. The singer says she likes to dress “pretty and scary, or pretty and tacky, or just not pretty.” Her looks deliver; at the 2024 MTV Music Awards, she stunned with her Joan-of-Arc-inspired medieval look, complete with a chainmail dress and gigantic sword. Roan dressed as a white swan for her performance of “Good Luck, Babe!” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and as a “glamorous, but also ugly and confusing” black swan during her post-performance interview with Fallon.
Although Roan is seen positively by her fanbase, she faces controversy due to her media presence. Mostly, it started on TikTok: Roan received hateful responses to her August 2024 video calling out fans for not respecting her boundaries, asking, “If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from the car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, 'Can I get a photo with you?” She’s been involved in several other incidents that have angered fans, such as yelling at a reporter for disrespecting her at the MTV Music Video Awards and not endorsing either political candidate during the 2024 election.
Now, the media is even angrier at Roan. This month, she was featured as a guest on the podcast “Call Her Daddy,” where she shared several opinions that ruffled some feathers. When asked if she would ever consider having kids, Roan responded that she didn’t think it was likely to happen, adding, “All my friends who have kids are in hell. I don’t know anyone...who’s, like, happy and has children at this age.” Moms on TikTok responded defensively, with many posting videos of themselves happily playing with their young children. One user even posted a video saying, “Yet ANOTHER INSUFFERABLE take from Chappell Roan… Stop giving her microphone PLEASE.”
So, has Roan ruined her career by sharing her opinions? Not by a long shot. Along with the many responses to Roan’s comment on parenthood, several TikTok users have also posted videos defending the pop singer. One user posted a video of herself with the text on the video reading, “me getting lk [lowkey] excited whenever Chappell Roan gets into controversy because it filters out all of her annoying straight fans… yes I’m gatekeeping.”
I think that these controversies are more nuanced than people are led to believe. Yes, Roan contradicts herself by building a political platform and doubling back, saying that people shouldn’t look to her for some political answer. But people should learn to be uncomfortable with those with different opinions without turning an artist’s entire platform into a moral quandary. Women, especially queer women, seem to get disproportionate backlash when they have a prominent media platform. Many artists say and do controversial things, but often no one is keeping track of the things they’ve disagreed with.
Roan also has a promising music career ahead of her. Her recent hit, “The Giver,” was number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and placed 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart. But there’s more music to come. In an October 2024 Instagram post, Roan posts a picture of herself holding a vinyl of “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” The caption reads, “Album kinda popped off imo [in my opinion], but it is time to welcome a hot new bombshell into the villa.” Months later, she teased songs in “The Giver” lyric video: “To Be Yours,” “Read & Make Out,” “Good Luck, Babe!” “The Giver,” “The Subway,” and “Fix it in the Morning.” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “The Giver” were already released as singles, but she first performed “The Subway” at Governor’s Ball 2024, even though it hasn’t been released on streaming services.
No matter how people feel about Chappell Roan, her influence on pop and the media is undeniable, and we’re all waiting to see what she does next.