ACL 2024 Artist Spotlight: Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan is currently your favorite artist’s favorite artist – and she intends to keep it that way at this year’s Austin City Limits Festival.

Chappell Roan has made her mark as a queer icon from the midwest. The singer has been around since 2015 and began making music under her real name Kayleigh Rose. From doing covers to releasing original songs, she found success and later , resulting in her name change to the moniker Chappell Roan. After releasing her debut EP titled School Nights in 2017, she remained underground and in the scene as an up-and-coming artist. With mini-headline tours here and there, it was easy to gatekeep her artistry, until it wasn’t.

Roan’s frequent collaborator Dan Nigro worked with well-known singer Olivia Rodrigo, who’s popularity skyrocketed after her debut single “Driver’s License.” Chappell Roan continued to pave her way by releasing numerous singles such as “Pink Pony Club,” “California” and “Naked in Manhattan.” She’s opened for artists like Declan McKenna, Vance Joy and Fletcher, and later went on to open for Olivia Rodrigo on the GUTS tour in early 2024. After performing an incredible set that draw thousands to the stage at Coachella, her popularity drastically increased from there – everything else was history.

In 2023, Chappell Roan released her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, an perfectly curated album with tones of self-discovery and Chappell’s sexual identity. With songs like “Femininomenon,” “Red Wine Supernova,” and “My Kink is My Karma,” each song contains its own pop elements and touches on Roan’s inspirations of 90s / 2000s pop music. The lyrics are more than relatable to her catered audience, making it an LGBTQ+ music gem. The album reached sleeper hit status, as it didn’t become popular until the middle of 2024 due to her rise in fame. She also released the single “Good Luck, Babe,” which is a song about coming to terms with your own identities – queer or not.

The singer is inspired by drag performers, and it allows her to express herself in the studio and on stage. Her outfits are always bizarre in the best way, which is definitely what draws the crowd to her sets. Her voice is beyond angelic and immaculate, as her in all of her tracks. Chappell Roan also engages in genuine camaraderie with her fans, as she jokes around about her past and interacts with fans alike. Lollapalooza 2024 reported that Roan brought in the largest crowd in history, and she’s had large crowd at other festivals such as Governor’s Ball in New York and Boston Calling.

Chappell Roan is truly a one-of-a-kind artist in terms of her works, and is at the top of the list with artists like as Lady Gaga, Renee Rapp, Kesha and more. It’s safe to assume that Chappell Roan will draw in the largest crowds in ACL history in Austin this year, and we can’t wait to see she has to offer Texas. The singer will be performing on the American Express stage on both Sundays, and no one is (currently) slotted to perform in the opposite stage. Get there early, as you’d wanna secure a good spot way ahead of time to the Pink Pony Club (Austin’s version)!