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Chappell Roan Addresses Her Mental Health

A Journey of Self-Discovery, Success, and Self-Preservation

Since the spring, social media has been bubbling with posts about Chappell Roan’s theatrical stage presence and memorable musings between live songs in front of record-breaking crowds.

After the release of her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and a string of viral performances on TV and at some of the nation’s largest music festivals, the Missouri native has been declared an overnight star and queer cultural icon in the making.

In the face of increasing recognition and a growing fanbase, Chappell Roan has discussed the mental toll of fame in the past. However, as her career has grown to an entirely new magnitude in recent months, the “Good Luck, Babe” singer got emotional at a recent show on her Midwest Princess Tour, telling the crowd that she was having a “hard time” dealing with the speed at which her career is growing.

Introducing the Midwest Princess: Who Is Chappell Roan?

With over 31 million monthly listeners and over half a billion streams on Spotify, Chappell Roan’s ascent to mainstream stardom has been nothing short of explosive. Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, the southwest Missourian was signed by Atlantic Records at just 17 after posting videos of herself covering songs on YouTube.

In 2017, she released her debut EP, School Nights, and moved to Los Angeles in 2018. However, following her 2020 single, “Pink Pony Club,” Atlantic dropped Roan, saying her recent releases were not profitable enough.

Over the next two years, Roan moved back home with her parents and then back to Los Angeles, working odd jobs to support herself as an independent artist. By early 2022, she had secured a publishing deal with Sony and released several singles and her debut album over the next two years.

Songs like “Naked In Manhattan,” “My Kink Is Karma,” and “Femininomenon” slowly helped Roan build a cult fandom on social media and by word of mouth. Sparkling, uninhibited, and unabashedly raunchy, her character is inspired by drag, burlesque, and teen internet culture in the 1990s and early 2000s.

After dropping the single “Casual” in early 2023, Roan embarked on her first headlining tour, the Naked in North America Tour. Throughout the year, she released three more singles: “Kaleidoscope,” “Red Wine Supernova,” and “HOT TO GO!” priming her growing fanbase for her debut album.

Release of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Streaming Success

In September 2023, the young pop star released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and embarked on the first leg of her ongoing Midwest Princess tour. In early 2024, Roan announced several additional dates for her Midwest Princess tour and that she would open for Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts World Tour in the spring. According to Billboard, Roan’s streams increased by more than 30%, and her monthly listeners increased by over 500% between February and April.

Amid her busy touring schedule, the 26-year-old appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts this spring—two performances that prepared audiences for the coming whirlwind: “Good Luck, Babe!”

The young drag queen released the new single on April 5, which debuted at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 7 million streams in its first week. The next day, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess finally charted on the Billboard 200 for the first time at number 127.

Two weeks after releasing “Good Luck, Babe!” Roan played at Coachella, where clips of her performance and command of such a large crowd went viral on social media.

“My name is Chappell Roan. I’m your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” she says in one video on TikTok, eyes locked with the camera, dressed as a pink and red life-sized butterfly. “I’m your dream girl’s dream girl,” she says.

@jake.rowlands

My account is now dedicated to chappell roan im sorry #chappellroan #coachella

♬ original sound – Jake Rowlands

Following her monumental Coachella performances, Roan continued the Midwest Princess tour in the U.S., appearing at some of the largest festivals in the country, where her fans turned out by the thousands to participate in the “HOT TO GO!” dance trend.

By June, Midwest Princess sat comfortably in the top ten, and multiple dates on the Midwest Princess tour were moved to larger venues to accommodate the demand to see the pop star live.

Personal Mental Health Struggles

When Roan arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 12, fans packed out a parking garage across from the venue to get a glimpse of her show, which had been moved from the 1,400-capacity Ritz to the Red Hat Amphitheater, which holds nearly 6,000 people. That night, Roan paused the sold-out concert to tell fans she was struggling with processing her new stardom.

“I just want to be honest with the crowd, and I just feel a little off today ‘cause I think that my career has just kind of gone really fast, and it’s really hard to keep up,” she shared. “So I’m just being honest that I’m just having a hard time today.”

“I’m not trying to give you a lesser show. It’s just, there’s just a lot,” she said between sniffles, “so just thank you for understanding.”

Fans cheered words of encouragement like “We love you, Chappell!” and held their hands up with their fingers in the shape of hearts.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted. It’s just so heavy sometimes,” she said.

@normalboydex

this is just a reminder that we dont ever know what’s going on behind the scenes in anyone’s life. be kind yall ❤️ we love you so much chappell, it takes a lot to be honest and vulnerable. thank you for an amazing show and showing up even when it’s hard. @chappell roan

♬ original sound – dex

When clips of her emotional speech began circulating on TikTok and Instagram, fans outpoured with love and support for the Midwest Princess, encouraging her to take time off when needed.

Over the next two weeks, Roan’s career continued full steam ahead. A few days before she was slated to play at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in a tent intended for artists with smaller fanbases, Roan’s June 16 Bonnaroo set was moved to one of the festival’s larger outdoor stages, where she drew a crowd so large that she made national headlines.

@suspirialist

Chappell Roan at community event in 2021. I got emotional seeing so many young people being openly and joyously queer ❤️ little did I know… #yourfavoriteartistfavoriteartist #chappellroan #pinkponyclub #sapphicpop #panpacificpark #queerfieldday #queertiktok #chappellroanconcert #dragartist #bonnaroo @chappell roan

♬ pony club then and now – Suspirialist

As someone who has discussed how much importance she places on protecting her mental health with rising fame, Roan took to TikTok on June 22 with a post signaling an improvement in her mental health after a “cuckoo” month of performances and success.

“I’m reflecting on my life, and the past couple weeks have been like cuckoo, but what’s so reassuring and so f*****g sick is the pop girls that you and I have loved our whole lives,” she explained, “a lot of them have reached out and are so supportive and girls’ girls.

“It’s so sick to know that the girls [are] really supporting each other in the pop industry,” she said. “To have people I look up to reach out to me and offer a friend or help…I don’t know, it’s just sick, and it makes me believe in, like, the world.”

Roan made the post shortly after fellow pop girl Sabrina Carpenter sang a cover of “Good Luck, Babe!” on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

Mental Health Before Mainstream Success

Before Roan’s commercial success and widespread attention this year, she had experienced fame on a smaller scale as an independent artist that she still struggled to deal with.

In May 2023, Roan shared a message on Instagram with fans:

idk i feel emo right now and just wanted to share that i am very fortunate and grateful to have my dream job. This job is very difficult for me to process and maintain a healthy life & mindset. I already have difficulty regulating my emotions because I have bipolar 2 disorder. I am very hard on my body image and feel like no matter what weight or how “toned” I am, it simply isn’t enough. I’m working through it the best I can and I’m grateful I have the means to afford therapy and occasional time off.

In an interview on the podcast Q with Tom Parker in October 2023, Roan said that separating the character of Chappell Roan from Kayleigh is essential for her mental health. The separation of identities allows her to view the career as a job while maintaining a sense of self that will exist after Chappell Roan no longer does.

“I need to just have an identity outside of this and protect myself for when I’m, you know, 20 years from now, and I’m not just burnt out on life,” she said.

Advocacy and Mental Health Awareness

Considering her longtime presence on social media—mainly TikTok—Roan has become a mental health advocate in several ways. From one angle, she has helped bring awareness to bipolar II by sharing her diagnosis and experiences with it.

She also told Vanity Fair that dealing with bipolar II can be complex as a musician. “I really try to like, take care of myself. But, oh my god, it’s so hard with this job because there’s no checking out. There’s no like clocking in and out,” she said.

On the other hand, her music catalog is full of ballads and dance anthems where Roan unashamedly embraces her femininity and basks in her newfound queerness after moving to Hollywood as a young adult.

Roan said that the whole point of her project, persona, and performances is to give young people a space to be themselves freely and authentically, which deeply resonated with many members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Roan also actively seeks opportunities to give back to those who have helped her build such an influential platform. During the Midwest Princess Tour, she donated $1 per ticket to For the Gworls, a nonprofit devoted to assisting Black transgender people, hired local drag queens to open each show, and partnered with queer charities in every city on the tour.

During her historic performance at the Governor’s Ball festival in New York, Roan spoke up for the LGBTQ community. Before performing “My Kink Is Karma,” Roan dedicated the song to The White House, saying they invited her to perform at a Pride event, but she declined.

“We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come,” she said.

Dressed in drag as the Statue of Liberty—painted patina green head to toe—she told the crowd, “I am in drag of the biggest queen of all, but in case you had forgotten what’s etched on my pretty little toes: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’”

“That means freedom and trans rights. That means freedom and women’s rights,” Roan emphasized, “It especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories. Thank you.”

Support Systems and Resources

Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the resources that Roan herself has partnered with, which we invite you to explore and contribute to if you are able:

  • For the Gworls is a nonprofit organization that helps Black trans individuals with expenses ranging from rent to gender-affirming care.
  • The GLO Center is a nonprofit organization and community center dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community in Missouri (Roan’s home state) through resources, education, and advocacy.
  • The Trevor Project is a nonprofit suicide prevention organization aimed at providing 24/7 crisis services, research, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people.
  • Mercy-USA is a humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving access to safe water, education, healthcare, and economic mobility for struggling communities worldwide.

The Importance of Open Conversation

Roan’s impact extends beyond her music. Her presence as a successful, openly queer artist from a small town challenges stereotypes and provides hope for LGBTQ+ youth in similar situations. She demonstrates that embracing one’s identity fully and finding success without compromising who you are is possible.

Essentially, Chappell Roan has become more than just a musician. She champions authenticity and acceptance for a generation of queer youth, especially those from rural America, who have long yearned for representation and understanding in mainstream culture.

Embracing Intersectionality: Mental Health Support and Treatment for LGBTQ+ People

For our LGBTQ+ readers, we recognize the additional challenges you may face in seeking mental health support. The intersection of mental health issues, substance abuse, and LGBTQ+ identity requires a nuanced and compassionate approach.

At The Summit Wellness Group, we pride ourselves on serving the LGBTQ+ community with empathy, respect, and a critical understanding of intersectionality. Our team is dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive environment where you can explore your mental health and addiction concerns without fear of judgment.

Whether you’re dealing with substance abuse or any other mental health challenge, remember that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Contact us now to learn how we can support you or a loved one.

Reach us anytime by phone at (770) 525-7952 or by email at ContactUs@TheSummitWellnessGroup.com.

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