American singer Chappell Roan has spoken out about the "f*cking weird" and "creepy behaviour" from some fans, referencing the stalking, bullying and harassment she has experienced since rising to fame.
On 19 August, the 26-year-old singer shared two TikTok videos, questioning the entitlement of strangers and their intrusive actions towards her both online and offline.
“If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from your car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I take a photo with you?’ and she says ‘No, what the f*ck?’ and then you get mad at this random lady?” Roan said.
She continued: “Would you be offended if she says no to your time because she has her own time? Would you stalk her family? Would you follow her around? Would you try to dissect her life and bully her online? This is a lady you don’t know and she doesn’t know you at all. Would you assume that she’s a good person, assume she’s a bad person? Would you assume everything you read online about her is true? I’m a random b*tch, you’re a random bItch. Just think about that for a second, OK?”
In a second video, she expressed that just because "abuse and harassment, stalking" have become normalised for celebrities, doesn't make it ok.
“I don’t care that this crazy type of behaviour comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it OK. That doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean that I want it. That doesn’t mean that I like it," Roan said.
"I don’t want whatever the f*ck you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity. I don’t give a f*ck if you think it’s selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time, or a hug. That’s not normal. That’s weird. It’s weird how people think that you know a person just because you see them online and you listen to the art they make. That’s f*cking weird. I’m allowed to say no to creepy behaviour, OK?"
The 'Good Luck, Babe!' singer has become one of this year's most popular artists, with her debut album 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess' topping Billboard's Vinyl Albums chart, and sitting at No 1 in the UK music charts and No 2 in the official US music charts, just behind Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department'.
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'Your favourite artist’s favourite artist'
Raised in the Bible Belt of Missouri, US, Chappell Roan, whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, began uploading music to YouTube as a teenager until she was signed to a record label.
The release of her single 'Pink Pony Club' in 2020 changed the trajectory of her career dramatically, bringing widespread attention as Roan established a unique style of retro-pop that's boldly kitsch, unapologetically queer and infused with drag culture.
In the last year especially, her rise from a beloved icon of the so-called chronically online to global music superstar has been sudden and swift.
In a viral TikTok video of Roan introducing herself at a gig, she says, “My name is Chappell Roan, I am your favourite artist's favourite artist” - and it's turned out to be true.
Everyone from Adele to Elton John to Sabrina Carpenter have sung Roan's praises, the latter performing a cover of her hit song 'Good Luck, Babe!' on BBC 1's Live Lounge.
In a podcast interview with influencer Jake Shane, Queen 'Brat' Charli XCX said of Roan: “I just think she’s gonna have a lot of longevity as an artist, and I don’t think its just about this one moment. She seems really smart, she has taste, she has references, she’s being herself, not conforming — I just can see her career being long and fruitful which I think is cool because I don’t think there are enough people who are thinking outside of the next song they’re releasing.”
Roan's meteoric success and active online presence has, however, come at the cost of increased scrutiny and fans forming 'parasocial' relationships - the one-sided belief that a relationship with an online persona is real.
During a recent interview with Drew Afualo for the Comment Section podcast, Roan spoke of her fears for the safety of her and her family.
“People have started to be freaks. Like, [they] follow me and know where my parents live, and where my sister works. All this weird s****."
In the same interview, she also suggested that she wanted to take a step back from the limelight for a while: "I’ve pumped the brakes on, honestly, anything to make me more known."
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