Determined not to fall prey to the music industry's usual trappings, Chappell Roan continues to play by her own rules. At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on 11 September, where she scooped up the award for Best New Artist, she went viral for confronting a photographer on the red carpet who told her to 'shut the f**k up'.
The pop star swiftly responded, 'You shut the f**k up.' She then added, 'Don't. Not me, bitch' before posing for further photographs on the red carpet.
Not only did Chappell win Best New Artist at the awards show, but she also performed her hit single 'Good Luck, Babe' on stage in front of a burning building. Something which she allegedly cancelled two live shows for in order to rehearse, citing 'scheduling conflicts', which led to some complaints from fans.
One fan on Instagram wrote, 'I don’t think the complaints are about the fact you cancelled the shows. When artists have cancelled on-the-day for things like sickness, or family emergencies, I might be upset but i’m not mad at them for that. But cancelling shows that have been planned for months at the very last-minute, because you got another offer, IS disrespectful.'
Meanwhile, Chappell has also made headlines recently for attempting to draw clear boundaries between herself and her fans. Sharing a series of text posts on social media, she said: 'For the past 10 years I've been going non-stop to build my project and it's come to the point that I need to draw lines and set boundaries. [...] I've been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don't owe you sh*t.'
'When I'm on stage, when I'm performing, when I'm in drag, when I'm at a work event, when I'm doing press... I am at work. Any other circumstance, I am not in work mode.' She concluded the post by saying, 'I feel more love than I ever have in my life. I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life.'
In the past few months Chappell Roan's career has skyrocketed – her monthly listeners have grown from three million to more than 20 million on Spotify and she now has 4.5 million followers on Instagram. Before supporting Olivia Rodrigo on her GUTS tour in February, she had 300k followers, so it's fair to assume her ascent to fame has been overwhelming.
While her approach to fame – and specifically the dangers of 'super fan' culture – have proved controversial, she has also won an enormous amount of praise for choosing to stand up for herself in an industry where artists are often expected to give an unsustainable amount of time and energy to their fans.
One fan took to X to write, 'I hope chappell keeps yelling at men in public it seems like no one wants to yell at men in public anymore.' Another posted, 'A photographer told chappell roan to shut the f**k up and she went off on him… you could never make me hate her.' While a third wrote, 'Chappell and her peers are actively trying to mold celebrity culture into a safer space where they don’t feel stalked and harassed [sic].'
When the 'Pink Pony Club' singer collected the gong for Best New Artist at the 40th VMAs at UBS arena in Long Island, she said: 'I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me, and I dedicate this to queer and trans people who fuel pop. To the gays who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate. And thank you to the people who are fans, who listen to me, who hear me when I share my joy and fears. Thank you for listening.'
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, covering TV, celebrity interviews, news and features.