From her stellar, strong and powerful vocals that fluctuate from soft whispers to direct chants to the crowd to country-laden yodels and powerhouse vocals from the head to the chest, Chappell Roan has created her own signature style of superstar pop meets country drag and midwest princess, and I am here for it.
Chappell Roan feels like any of us other independent musicians who made it. She is that homegrown girl who came from a small-town and loved music, made great music, had clear talent, but made it. Early videos of her surfacing online under her real name show that she’s a singer-songwriter at heart, playing piano and singing ballads, looking like any other talented singer-songwriter out there.
But, her transformation and inspiration living in West Hollywood and immersing himself into the drag culture and performance, having moved from the midwest, transformed her, her look and her sound. It made her into the midwest princess we all know and love today — for creating those catchy anthemic queer pop anthems that just make you feel good, full of joy, seen, and can shamelessly get behind.
She’s your favorite artist’s artist. She’s one of my favorite artists. Her talent is felt and palpable and obviously speaks to this generation, and the next, and the next. She actively speaks up on her boundaries and separation as an artist and a celebrity, while also maintaining her private life. And I love that she’s doing that. I love that she’s that person for us.
That Sunday, August 11th, Alex and I hopped on a plane at 6am from Los Angeles and flew straight in San Francisco, CA. My brother Andrew and Joanna picked us up at 8am and grabbed coffee and bagels with us. I was still slightly tired from spending that whole Saturday before on a beach in LA filming the LA28 commercial that would air during the Paris Closing Ceremony (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg were unexpected surprises, and were honestly my Outside Lands concert warmup lol). We met up with my brother Anthony, who was there with a couple of his college friends, and we all went to the festival for the third and final day of the 3-day festival. The cool fog and San Francisco air was a nice comforting breeze and change from the summer heat of Los Angeles.
I’ll let my pictures and videos speak for itself. From “Pink Pony Club” to “HOT TO GO!” and “After Midnight,” I’ll admit I haven’t listened to much of Chappell Roan beforehand. But after her set, I was hooked. I felt the energy and her talent and catchy hooks and rhythms. And, with a little journey back home, reunited with my family and brothers, enjoying the Bay after grinding in LA for so long, and spending the week at home with my Mom, it was a welcome experience and homecoming. And I loved it.
With love and honesty,
Rachel
beauty within 