When Chappell Roan won a local talent contest in 2012, the then-teenager made a determined declaration: « I want to win a GRAMMY… and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it. »
Thirteen years later at the 2025 GRAMMYs, Roan found herself walking on stage to accept her first GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist. Emerging as a symbol of steadfast perseverance in music, the now 26-year-old singer has been applauded not only for her talent, but her incredible tenacity — all of which helped manifest her dream.
In 2024, Roan’s popularity rose rapidly and endlessly, from viral online performances to record-breaking festival appearances. But her whirlwind stardom was no fluke; she’s had her eye on a career in music since those early talent contest days.
Following a more conventional singer/songwriter journey, Roan promoted herself on YouTube, signed and lost a record deal, and juggled various odd jobs in Los Angeles. Her perseverance paved the way for her debut album, 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and the single « Good Luck, Babe! » that would help catapult her to mainstream fame — and the coveted honor of Best New Artist.
Her victory connects directly to her insurmountable ambition. In an interview with GRAMMY.com right after her Coachella debut in April 2024, Roan shared the main question driving her creative process: « Throughout the year, I’m like, ‘What can I get away with?’«
It’s a profound, fitting question that accentuates Roan’s authenticity and rebellious innovation. By dedicating herself to escaping the standard, she’s made pop fun again — boisterous, colorful and happily campy. « I just want to push it to see how far can I go — with the most controversial outfits or things to rile people up, » Roan added. « I’m not really afraid to do that. »
Marked by her fearless, fun-loving originality, Roan’s journey is nothing short of a pop revolution. Her concerts create space for queer people to dress up, dance, scream, and most importantly, to be free. It’s this community-oriented approach and care that has led Roan to superstardom. And though her fame has already been a decade in the making, her glittery celebration of music, love and queerness shows no signs of stopping.
Below, look back on Chappell Roan’s self-made rise to fame, and how it all led to her first GRAMMY win.
Honing Her Craft While Growing Up In The Midwest
Born in the small town of Willard, Missouri, Roan found interest in music at a young age, playing piano at age 12 and taking vocal lessons. From winning her middle school talent show (twice) to auditioning for « America’s Got Talent, » the singer’s talent and ambition were evident early on.
Around 2013, she began posting covers on her YouTube channel under her birth name, Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, along with performing around Missouri. Growing up in a conservative, religious town, she found music therapeutic: « I was so desperate to feel understood, » she said in an interview with The Guardian.
In 2014, she continued developing her musical skills at a summer camp, and according to what her camp director told Rolling Stone, the 16-year-old « arrived with Lennon-McCartney-level songwriting skills. » There, Roan’s creativity and love for music only continued to balloon.
Signing With Atlantic Records & Adopting Her Stage Name
After practicing songwriting all summer, Roan published her first original song, « Die Young, » on YouTube — and though she now looks back and calls it « the corniest song on Earth, » the track helped kick off her musical career.
« Die Young » ended up attracting the eyes of music executives, who flew her out to New York for meetings and showcases. She earned her high school diploma a year early, dropping out and opting for online university classes in order to focus on her music; in 2015, she signed a record deal with Atlantic Records at just 17 years old.
In the same year Roan graduated high school, her grandfather Dennis K. Chappell passed away from brain cancer. Deciding to honor him with her stage name, Roan combined his last name with the word « Roan, » plucked from his favorite song, Curly Fletcher’s cowboy track « The Strawberry Roan » — and thus, Chappell Roan was born.
Experiencing A Year Of Firsts
While other 18-year-olds were frolicking at prom or touring universities, Roan was releasing her first major label single. The dark pop track « Good Hurt » showcased her strength as a songwriter, and its lovelorn angst drew early comparisons to Lorde and Lana Del Rey.
About a month later, Roan dropped her first full EP with Atlantic: School Nights, a moody, five-song collection about longing and self-doubt. The 17-minute alternative record opens with « Die Young, » a callback to her discovery on YouTube and early exhibit of talent.
She started booking her very first opening gigs that same year, accompanying rising Australian star Vance Joy on his Lay It On Me Tour. Less than a year later, she joined Declan McKenna on tour, an experience that inspired her to rethink her own performances.
« He would jump off the speakers, and throw balloons in the crowd, and have so much fun every night, » she told Vulture of McKenna. « I was like, ‘I want to do that. I don’t want to do what I’m doing. This is too serious. How do I have fun on stage? How do I make this a party? »
Meeting A Key Collaborator & Finding Inspiration In Los Angeles
Life changed dramatically for Roan when she moved to Los Angeles in 2018. While she had occasionally flown to New York City or Los Angeles for work, her official Los Angeles move allowed her the freedom she had been craving — not just as an artist, but as a young woman learning about her lesbian identity and sexuality.
Out of the Midwest and on the West Coast, Roan felt like she could be her truest self. « I feel allowed to be who I want to be here, » she told Rolling Stone. « That changed everything. »
The blissful single « Pink Pony Club » blossomed from her new life experiences, which she worked on closely with producer Daniel Nigro, whom she met through her former manager Nick Bobetsky. While the pair instantly clicked upon their first session, their creative direction was not encouraged by Atlantic Records, according to Nigro.
« We were starting to make fun music, » Nigro told Rolling Stone. « We had ‘Pink Pony Club’ and then we had made ‘Naked in Manhattan’ … And I remember they were like, ‘She can’t be both — she has to be pop music, or it has to be this sad, singer/songwriter pensive music. It can’t be both things.’ And I remember getting so mad because I know her personality, and it is both! Not only can she be both, but she sounds great being both. »
From the very start of their partnership, Nigro’s long-term support of Roan’s alternative creativity helped her truly find her footing (and, eventually, helped him win Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical at the 2025 GRAMMYs thanks to his work with both Roan and Olivia Rodrigo). Nigro’s commitment to Roan’s musical style encouraged her to believe in herself, and in turn, allowed her to shape her artist identity fully and honestly.
« Because he believed in bringing that part of myself to life, » Roan told the New York Times, « I started to believe in it, too. »
Keeping Her Head Above Water As An Independent Artist
In April and May 2020, Roan released three singles that fully represented her artistic identity: « Pink Pony Club, » « Love Me Anyway » and « California. » Inspired by her new but profound love of Los Angeles and her journey to self-acceptance, the depth of these tracks indicated Roan’s compelling shift in creative direction.
However, Atlantic Records didn’t see the promise of the unique style she’d honed, and decided to drop Roan that August. And in the same week, Roan’s long-term relationship ended abruptly.
But the challenges Roan only fueled her motivation. She took on miscellaneous work to stay afloat in Los Angeles, shapeshifting into a barista, a production assistant, a nanny — all while still working hard as an independent artist, who was concurrently learning how to navigate her bipolar disorder diagnosis. « Being an independent artist was really special because I proved to myself that I could do all these hard things that I had never done, » Roan told GRAMMY.com last year.
In 2022, she dropped her first independent release, « Naked in Manhattan, » later followed by « Femininomenon » and « Casual. » This power trio of singles made their way onto her future debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — which would soon send her into the pop stratosphere.
Hitting The Road For Two Headline Tours & Big Opener Slots
With her fame continuing to bubble, Roan’s major touring schedule in 2022 pivotally propped her onto massive stages in front of new fans. Roan opened for her superstar friend Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR Tour, on which she performed in arenas for the first time ever and held her own as an artist to watch.
About a year later, she finally embarked on her debut headline tour in February 2023. The Naked in North America Tour entertained as a 20-date trek throughout spring, spotlighting « the celebratory aspect of queerness » by featuring local drag queens as her opening acts — a trend she has continued with her subsequent tours.
During this time, Roan also signed with Island Records, thanks to her promising creativity and close companionship with Nigro. The added support from Island as well as the exposure from opening for Rodrigo (and a brief stint touring with FLETCHER) helped promote Roan to wider, pop-loving audiences.
After wrapping her first-ever headline tour, she dropped her wonderfully campy debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in the fall of 2023. Though it didn’t reach mainstream audiences immediately, the polished pop record was critically acclaimed for its depth and dynamism. Pitchfork praised her « powerful and versatile voice; NME commended her « irresistible songwriting » and its humor; and Paste magazine said Roan « fill[s] a void in the pop landscape left behind by [Lady] Gaga’s distance. »
With the album continuing to garner buzz and acclaim, Roan’s touring schedule also indicated how quickly her stardom was rising. The first leg of The Midwest Princess Tour not only saw her play bigger venues in North America, but also headline her first shows in Australia and Europe. And by the time she announced a second leg for 2024, it was strikingly clear she was on her way to superstardom.
Shooting To Stardom Thanks To « Good Luck, Babe! » & Tiny Desk
Amid the second stretch of The Midwest Princess Tour, Roan made a splash with her NPR Tiny Desk concert. Debuting on March 21, 2024, the performance went viral thanks to her vocal ability and humor (and her fantastic drag look). Just two weeks later, Roan released « Good Luck, Babe! » as a one-off single on April 5, 2024 — and was unprepared for the song’s swift ascent to popularity.
An enchanting representation of the honesty and humanity in her songwriting, the ever-so-catchy « Good Luck, Babe! » shone as the perfect follow-up to Roan’s Tiny Desk performance. Within weeks, the popular track became Roan’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. And within months, the global omnipresence of « Good Luck, Babe! » made it clear that the song had boosted her to the mainstream.
Despite not being on the track list for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, « Good Luck, Babe! » and Roan’s rapidly growing popularity helped the album climb all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 by August. But that was just one of many signs that her true-to-herself approach had allowed her to emerge as one of pop’s new queens.
Drawing Record-Breaking Crowds At Festivals
Continuing to conquer stages, Roan’s touring schedule soon included major festival appearances that further heightened her prominence. Filled with flamboyant fanfare, Roan’s Coachella performance struck a chord with not just her Indio audience, but also thousands of people watching snippets of her set online. With « Good Luck, Babe! » taking off and the added virality of her Coachella performance, Roan was officially no longer an underground secret.
Coachella certainly kicked off her festival season with a colorful bang, but as she hit stage after stage at summer festivals, Roan proved she was becoming an unstoppable force. More than 40,000 people attended her daytime slot at May’s Boston Calling. A week after drawing a similarly massive crowd at June’s Governors Ball, her crowd at Bonnaroo was so massive that festival organizers moved her to a bigger stage. And come August, Roan’s performance drew the « biggest daytime set » Lollapalooza had ever seen.
A week later at Outside Lands (where, of course, she had another huge audience), Roan yelled at the VIPs for not dancing along to her set: « You’re not fun! » she shrieked. While the silly 10-second moment spread on social media rapidly, it was also a demonstration of Roan’s honest, sometimes brash authenticity that’s helped make her so exceedingly popular.
Winning Her First GRAMMY
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Roan’s whirlwind success culminated in perhaps her biggest achievement to date: six nominations for the 2025 GRAMMYs. In addition to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess earning nominations for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album and « Good Luck, Babe! » receiving nominations for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, Roan also earned a nod for Best New Artist — which she would ultimately take home.
In her powerful speech, Roan thanked « all who listened to get me here today, » along with her team and family. She reflected on the struggles she faced early in her career, urging labels to give more to rising artists.
« I told myself if I ever won a GRAMMY and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists, » Roan declared, reading from a diary.
Representing a victory for all up-and-coming musicians who have stayed true to themselves in the face of adversity, Roan’s first GRAMMY win both honors her decade-long journey to global success and recognizes her dedication to shaping the future with positive change. By continuously intertwining artistry and advocacy even throughout her catapult to fame, it became evident on the GRAMMY stage that Roan is leading a revolution — and that her triumph as Best New Artist is one of many milestones to come.
