If you’re a fan of Chappell Roan (such as myself) you no doubt would have been on the pulse surrounding her controversies. Cancelling festival appearances after backlash, swearing at paparazzi, and generally having an unapologetic attitude that doesn’t seem to sit right with people determined to stick to the status quo of what a celebrity means to them.
For years, many celebrities have been put on a pedestal and yet forced to stay close enough to fans so that they feel like a best friend. Someone you could really know in real life. Someone who can be scrutinised and criticised with every move they make. But Roan has continuously pushed back against this idea. She’s constantly changing things up, forcing audiences to look at themselves - and how they treat celebrities.
But last week she truly impressed me when she won Best New Artist and quite frankly, made a move that only made me adore her even more. Music award ceremony acceptance speeches generally sound the same; they get up, thank their label and team, family, partner, and fans who made their journey possible.
Not for Roan, who took the opportunity to speak out against labels mistreating their artists.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare. Especially to developing artists.”
Though she won the award for Best New Artist, Roan is by no means a newbie to the industry. At just 16 she was signed by Atlantic Records, and was devastatingly dropped in 2020. Her journey as a musician came with even more challenges, and it’s awful to think that her dedication to her art had to be cut short just to make a living.
Sure, signing with a label can mean having guidance, exposure, and resources to carry out an artist’s vision. But they’re ultimately businesses, and everything is about numbers. An artist’s career can get cut very short if they’re underperforming, which is devastating to developing musicians.
“I got signed as a minor and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt and like most people I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic - and could not afford health insurance.”
I deeply look up to Roan’s music and calls for action, and I think that what she did on that stage was not only brave but eye-opening for the industry. I’ll leave you with the final line of her speech, one that stuck with me and no doubt; everyone else watching.
“Labels, we got you. But do you got us?” Edited by: Jasmine Pegg
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