“I said I wanted to start a new genre of music,” Jojo Siwa told Billboard News. “It’s called ‘gay pop'”.
Someone please tell Jojo that she’s a little too late–“gay pop” has existed for decades and has had a princess for over a year: her majesty, Chappell Roan.
Born and raised in Willard, Missouri, Roan debuted on YouTube with a song titled “Die Young” at seventeen. She was signed to Atlantic Records in 2017, but this deal only lasted 3 years before she was dropped in 2020. In the fall of 2020, Roan allowed herself one more shot and moved out to LA. After a night at the iconic gay bar, The Abbey, Roan’s path as an artist was permanently altered.
“All of a sudden I realized I could truly be any way I wanted to be, and no one would bat an eye,” she said to Headliner Magazine.
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is Roan’s debut album and came out in late 2023. It is her ode to queer culture, love, nightlife, and evolution. In an interview with Vulture Magazine, Roan said “What I started doing was stop trying to impress the music industry and start trying to impress gay people,” which is beautifully apparent throughout the album. “Red Wine Supernova” is an explicitly sapphic love song that doesn’t try to hide its face. Roan sings “She was a playboy, Bridgette Bardot/She showed me things, I didn’t know” expressing how exciting and new loving women can be when you’re freshly out. As well as this, “Pink Pony Club” is directly inspired by Roan’s transformational experience at The Abbey. She sings “And I heard, that there’s a special place/Where boys and girls can be queens every single day”.
The opening track, “Femininominion” brings the listener into the vibrant, wide-eyed world of this album. Featuring beautifully layered instrumentation and fun ad-libs, the track sets the tone for the rest of the songs, driving away those who can’t handle the vivacity of it. Songs like “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” and “HOT TO GO” encapsulate the fun, lighter side of this album that makes it what it is.
On the other side of the coin, Roan sings ballads about heartbreak and the strain that loving someone can cause you. The track “Casual” is equal parts angry and devesting as Roan sings “I thought you thought of me better/Someone you couldn’t lose/You say ‘We’re not together’/So now when we kiss I have anger issues”. The track ramps up in emotion as she sings about holding out hope for someone who sees her as nothing more than a fling, ending on Roan belting “I hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell”. Songs such as “Coffee” and “Kaleidoscope” reflect this side of the album and allow it to balance itself entrancingly.
Dynamic is just one word that can be used to describe Chappell Roan. Lyrically and vocally, she is a powerhouse and this album serves as proof. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a beautiful piece of work and is changing the current landscape of queer pop music, which is needed in these trying times (I’m looking at you, Jojo). You can listen to this album on Spotify and Apple Music.
