People who don’t understand Chappell Roan’s rise to fame perhaps don’t realise how long overdue her music—her presence—is for the community that dotes on her. She’s so queer-coded that it’s not even coded. The single ‘Pink Pony Club’ came out four years ago; an ode to a place where “boys and girls can all be queens every single day”.
She’s platformed drag artists as her support act since performing in the smallest venues, encouraging audiences to tip queens to support wider LGBTQ+ communities. — — Last week, when she accepted her VMA for Best New Artist, she gave credit where it was due: “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspired me. And I dedicate this to queer and trans people that fuel pop all around.
” Chappell has played London before—she performed at Heaven last year, (and The Garage in 2023!). Since then, her fame has exploded, scoring a No.1 album in the UK this August for ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ almost a year after its release.
Although ‘Pink Pony Club’ is one of the oldest tracks on the setlist, Chappell has been performing many of the songs from her debut for years, yet she still delivers them with a fresh, electrifying feel. — — For the queers that make up the majority of the audience, this is not just a perfect pop gig—it’s a safe haven. She performs ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ in its entirety, its heartfelt lyrics capturing queer love and experience in all its shades.
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