Written By Rachael Mueller

Modeled By Olivia Shipley, Autumn Adams, & Nakaja Weaver

Photography By Desiree Daos

Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, from Willard, Missouri has risen to stardom with the release of her debut album The Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess. The album, featuring 14 songs, is filled with ballads, break-up songs, and pop anthems about the journey to finally becoming who you were always meant to be. Her first single for her debut record, “Pink Pony Club”, was released in April 2020 and received moderate success. However, the larger-than-life, queer pop powerhouse gained notoriety through her trending song “Casual.” The song describes a person in a relationship labeled as “casual” but clearly is anything but. This sparked trends on TikTok of people sharing their own similar experiences while lip-syncing to the song. Anticipating the release of her album, Chappell released nine singles, some of the most notable being “Red Wine Supernova,” “HOT TO GO!” and “My Kink Is Karma”. 

Amstutz’s identity as “Chappell Roan” has been described as her drag persona. The name derives from her late grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell, and his favorite song The Strawberry Roan. Chappell’s time spent as an independent artist inspired her to develop into a D.I.Y. pop princess. While on tour and in her music videos, Chappell sports bedazzled, beaded, and fringed leotards and lingerie that she upcycles by hand. This sort of thrift store-pop star attire is part of what makes Chappell's on and off-stage presence so endearing.

Chappell Roan’s unique style is on full display in her music videos, most of which are independently made by the singer and her friends. The music video for her single HOT TO GO! was filmed at several Springfield landmarks such as the Gillioz Theatre, the World's 2nd Largest Fork, and the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. This homage to Springfield includes fans, local drag queens, and Chappell’s own grandparents as backup dancers. In the video, Chappell sports a number of outfits at different locations, the most notable of which being a deep blue, sparkly marching band-esque leotard patterned with stars and epaulette shoulders. 

In her music, Chappell Roan acknowledges the struggles of being a queer person growing up in rural Missouri, while still embracing her midwestern roots. In an interview with The Washington Post, Chappell states, “There’s a special place in my heart for queer kids in the Midwest because I know how they’re feeling and I know how isolating it can feel.” Chappell’s music videos often feature characters like cowboys, clowns, and cheerleaders. In her video for “My Kink Is Karma,” Chappell and a character depicting an ex are wearing clown makeup, one dressed as a cowboy, and the other dressed as a devil. These characters present in her music videos, costuming, and songwriting are vehicles to help explore themes of alienation that queer people in the Midwest often experience. 

In her music video for “Red Wine Supernova,” Chappell falls for a female magician. The more she falls for the girl through the course of the video, Chappell’s style changes from being reminiscent of 60s mod fashion to a glittery burlesque style. This costume transition illuminates a shift in identity into “the other.” The video pushes this metaphor for queerness and even goes as far as to add an elderly woman with a yard sign reading “God Hates Magic,” a phrase reminiscent of a common queer hate speech slogan. The themes in this music video highlight Chappell’s learning to embrace and celebrate her queer identity.

Through her campy costumes and anthems of queer joy, Chappell Roan has managed to rise to stardom and capture her audiences’ hearts. The Willard-born and bred pop star currently has over one million monthly listeners on Spotify and has nowhere to go but up.