Chappell Roan, the 27-year-old pop sensation, recently surprised a crowd of over 13,000 at her sold-out Forest Hills Stadium show in Queens, admitting, “I didn’t ever think I’d get this big.”
This confession felt somewhat unexpected from an artist who typically projects an almost regal self-assurance, as if the entire world is her stage.
Yet, it was a perfectly authentic moment from a musician who has fostered deep trust and connection with her fans by consistently speaking her truth. She went on to explain that with increasing fame come expectations: “Oh, you’re at this level now, so you should be this way.” But she asserted, “I don’t have to believe it, I guess.” The enthusiastic cheers from her heavily made-up audience, sporting pink cowboy hats, satin pageant sashes, and other playful Chappell Roan-inspired attire, confirmed she’d made the right call.
Roan’s four Queens performances over the past week launched her “Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Tour,” an unusual and deliberate series of shows that highlight her continued departure from the typical script for a rising pop star.
With her incredible momentum from a breakout year, Roan easily could have escalated to massive arena shows. Instead, the “Damsels” tour is a more intimate, thoughtful venture: eight “pop-up shows” in mid-sized stadium venues across just three cities (New York, Kansas City, and near Los Angeles). She described these as a “chance to do something special before going away to write the next album.”
The two shows I attended were absolutely electrifying. They felt less like a glimpse into her future and more like a celebratory encore, a triumphant conclusion to the extended album cycle of her 2023 sleeper hit, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” This album beautifully narrates a young, queer woman’s journey of romantic self-discovery. While the record shimmers with bubblegum synth-pop, live, Roan and her all-female band cranked up the inherent rock ‘n’ roll energy to the max.
Striding across the stage with flowing curls, striking new-wave makeup, and a leopard-print outfit, Roan evoked an ’80s video siren who had bravely seized the microphone from a cheesy hair-metal frontman to unleash her own powerful voice. Her stage design and constantly changing costumes, meanwhile, pulled inspiration equally from dramatic harlequin romances and the epic fantasy of “Game of Thrones,” as an energetic Roan danced through a moodily lit gothic castle. Her cover of Heart’s “Barracuda” – performed one night with Nancy Wilson of Heart herself on guitar – underscored the point: Chappell Roan is undeniably a rock star.
Many of Roan’s songs are crafted to excel in a live setting, building tension gradually before erupting into cathartic releases. Take the exhilarating “Hot to Go,” where a suspenseful pre-chorus explodes into an irresistible hook, complete with an easy-to-follow dance – an even more proudly gay “Y.M.C.A.” The fierce anthem “My Kink Is Karma” – a definite highlight of the set – sounded even more potent live, with her band’s pounding percussion and wailing guitars adding an extra edge. For “Pink Pony Club,” the clear grand finale, Roan barely needed to sing, as the audience’s passionate chorus filled the venue. The song itself is an ode to the freedom found onstage, and the performance served as a powerful reminder of how vital Roan’s live presence has been to her remarkable ascent.
Although “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” initially made little impact in its first six months (selling only 7,000 copies in its debut week), 2024 saw Roan steadily captivate audiences through her dynamic live shows. This included opening for Olivia Rodrigo in February, dazzling a vast online audience with her NPR Tiny Desk Concert in March, and delivering a show-stealing, star-making performance at Coachella in April. Her rendition of “Pink Pony Club,” a captivating single first released in 2020, at this year’s Grammys felt like a coronation, with a room full of music industry heavyweights – most of whom likely hadn’t known her a year prior – rising to their feet and singing along.
The Forest Hills set list firmly established Roan’s unwavering belief in her debut album, indicating she’s in no hurry to release new material. This approach is refreshing. In an era dominated by endless deluxe editions bloated with uninspired bonus tracks, many artists would have rushed out a new LP, or at least an expanded version of her relatively concise (14-track) hit album. It would have been effortless, and undoubtedly profitable, to append her standalone single “Good Luck, Babe!” and a few other B-sides to something like “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess: The She Is Risen Edition.”
However, when it comes to her release strategy, Roan has demonstrated remarkable discipline and a strong focus on quality. In the two years since “Midwest Princess,” she has released only three songs: “Good Luck, Babe!,” the playful pop-country track “The Giver,” and the wistful breakup ballad “The Subway.” “The Subway” in particular stands out, sounding less like contemporary radio fare and more like Alanis Morissette covering a Cocteau Twins song. Interestingly, “The Subway” was a live fan favorite (she famously debuted it at last year’s Governors Ball in New York, dressed as a taxi) that Roan wasn’t even sure she wanted to record in a studio.
Part of this measured pace is a deliberate strategy to safeguard her mental health, a topic she has openly discussed. Forest Hills Stadium held a special significance for the “Damsels” tour kickoff, as it was the venue for the All Things Go Festival, which Roan unexpectedly withdrew from last year due to personal reasons. Her decision drew both praise and criticism, but it reinforced her stance as an artist who refuses to be dictated by the perceived demands of fame. Her recent actions suggest her focus is less on relentless, exponential growth and more on learning to expand her career slowly and thoughtfully.
In contrast, fellow pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has embraced a completely different strategy, with its own set of advantages and challenges. Last month, Carpenter unveiled “Man’s Best Friend,” a collection of new songs that serves as a playful follow-up to her Grammy-winning hit album “Short n’ Sweet,” released almost exactly a year prior. While “Man’s Best Friend” offers some clever moments and has produced another catchy hit in “Manchild,” it largely lacks the sparkle of its predecessor and edges Carpenter’s public image dangerously close to self-parody.
On the other hand, “Man’s Best Friend” exists. Carpenter has already moved past the pressure of following up a successful album and is about to embark on a new arena tour for her Short n’ Sweet Tour. For Roan, the longer she waits, the higher the expectations will mount.
Yet, any such concerns felt distant at Forest Hills, where Roan’s two newest songs resonated powerfully. “The Giver” delivered the impact of a vibrant, call-and-response showstopper, while “The Subway” beautifully highlighted the emotional depth of Roan’s voice. Another track that took on heightened meaning live was “California,” the poignant penultimate song from “Midwest Princess,” a raw expression from an artist still yearning for her big break.
“People always say, ‘If it hasn’t happened yet, then maybe you should go,'” Roan sang, a line imbued with fresh irony in a packed, adoring venue. She seemed to be asserting that she had patiently waited for her moment long enough. Now, it was time for her to cultivate her career on her own terms.