To say Chappell Roan made an impression in 2024 would be an understatement. Along with the singer having some hit songs take off, becoming known for her fashion often inspired by drag queens, and earning six Grammy nominations in the upcoming ceremony in the 2025 TV schedule, she has also earned a reputation. Chappell proved a few times over last year that she’s willing to both stand up for herself and call others out, and she’s not sorry about it.
The singer who has been making an impact as an LGBTQ+ pop star made waves for saying she would not “accept harassment” from the public following becoming a famous name, and then while walking the VMAs red carpet in a medieval dress, she memorably confronted a paparazzi photographer for shouting her way. Four months after the viral moment, here’s how Chappell reflected:
I think me on the carpet yelling at the VMAS to tell the photographer to shut the fuck up – I think that completely shattered what everyone thought was supposed to be, Like that is not what a pop star is supposed to do. And, in my head walking on to the carpet, I was looking around and I was like ‘This is what people are OK with all the time? I’m supposed to act normal? This is not normal, this is crazy.’ Oh my god, I feel so bad for the girls who have been taught that this is normal, and that it’s OK.
The idea of being shouted at by a photographer to stand or look a certain way might be another day in Hollywood for tons of big names, but Chappell Roan was not having it. Since videos of the moment from the “Good Luck, Babe” singer spread just about everywhere (such as this one on YouTube), she actually earned a lot of love from the internet for the moment. One commenter said “she was so real for this” and another applauded her for “setting boundaries and standing up for herself.” As Chappell continued:
I’ve been acting that way whether it’s the right or wrong response in that situation, but I’ve been responding that way to disrespect my whole life, but now there are cameras on me, and also I happen to be a pop star and those things don’t match. It’s like oil and water. It’s like girl power unless you’re a pop star, because you’re not professional all of a sudden.
A few minutes after the moment on the red carpet, Chappell Roan talked to ET about the carpet being “overwhelming and quite scary.” She described the carpet as “horrifying,” especially as someone who gets “a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you”. Now, during her new interview with BBC Radio 1, Chappell Roan voiced how that moment may not have been common for other people in the industry, but that doesn’t mean it was out of character for her to defend herself and communicate what’s OK from her perspective.
In the interview, another moment she went viral for was mentioned: when she played Outsidelands and called out the VIP section for not doing the “HOT TO GO!” dance with the rest of the audience. Check it out:
@teaganpariss ♬ original sound - teagan paris
Similarly, Chappell Roan shared she was hoping the audience could be “present” with her and do the dance with her even if they didn’t come to the music festival just for her. At the same time, through the events of this year, the pop star said she’s learned to have “grace” for people who don’t understand how she feels about fame. As she also shared:
Call people out. Keep people on them toes… And that’s like a drag queens job. A drag queen does not get on stage to calm people down. A drag queen does not say things to flatter people. Like, a queen makes you blush. You get red in the face whenever a queen talks to you, and expect the same energy at my show.
If you’ve been to a drag show, or seen a movie that celebrates drag performers, you might know that Chappell Roan’s persona fits perfectly with being a drag queen. She uses a drag name after all! When the singer was called "brave" for how she's handled things this year, she fired back, saying she finds breaking the mold is to be more about "survival" than anything else. She wants to preserve her mental health and show up for herself more than climb the charts.
We can’t wait to see if Chappell will perform alongside her fellow nominees (especially after collabing with Sabrina Carpenter on her Christmas special) and what 2025 brings for her career.
