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Chappell Roan: our favourite Midwest Princess

Published by Mason Oldridge, 14 January 2025


In 2024, Charli XCX gave us a Brat summer, Taylor Swift delivered her new album The Tortured Poets Department and concluded her groundbreaking Eras tour, Dua Lipa brought us Radical Optimism, the follow-up to her incredible Future Nostalgia album and Sabrina Carpenter dominated the charts with Espresso and Please Please Please from her album Short n’ Sweet, yet it was American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan that earned the title of Audio Visual’s Artist of 2024, despite only releasing one song all year. So why was it her who claimed the crown upon year-end?

Well, there are two primary factors. Firstly, Roan has the unique ability to masterfully combine lyrics detailing 21st century life with music of 80s inspired synth, albeit with a more modern pop finish. Secondly, her only single of the year Good Luck, Babe garnered such incredible success that it kickstarted a chain of popularity with past songs from her 2023 debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Good Luck, Babe features some impressive vocals, particularly the falsetto on the chorus and the outcry of “I told you so!” Lyrically, it addresses a female suppressing and denying her homosexual feelings and, while not referring to Roan herself, could be linked to her queer identity. Shortly after, Hot to Go then appeared and could have been mistaken for a follow-up single as opposed to the previous release it is, in part due to the viral dance craze spelling out the phrase that emerged. There was also late success for songs such as Pink Pony Club and Red Wine Supernova, and with that Roan had dominated the pop music scene across the year.


Regarded as a sleeper hit, it’s safe to say her debut album was overlooked at the time and so let’s take a retrospective look at the record which contains all these would-be future bops.

Opening with strings and piano before giving way to whirring sounds and the revving of a motorbike to kickstart the catchy chorus, Femininomenon is something of a female empowerment anthem. After the bridge, the chorus introduces cowbell and then delivers a sped up version for some fun alterations too. Red Wine Supernova features acoustic guitar layered with a synth beat and contains some edgy lyrics on sexual liberation in a lesbian relationship whereas After Midnight is dance-based and utilises both rhythm guitar and bass. Coffee is a beautiful yet heartbreaking piano ballad that strips back the instrumentation to allow greater appreciation for the songwriting before Casual tells of a supposedly no-strings relationship despite all the emotional investment and history. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl is an in-your-face hyperactive electropop banger with otherworldly background noises, Hot to Go goes heavy on the synth and excels for it, My Kink Is Karma sees Roan experience pleasure from revenge set to an electric drum beat and Picture You is a dreamy change in pace with a sinister angle. Kaleidoscope is another piano ballad, this time delicately detailing how love is like the titular item. Using such a beautiful simile and with such eloquent vocal control, this track is nothing short of a masterpiece. Next, Pink Pony Club opens to piano before branching into Roan’s trademark synth for a dance-pop banger detailing a Southern girl moving to West Hollywood to dance at a gay strip club much to the disapproval of her mother. The single is the earliest on the record dating back to 2020 and the music video sees a nervous Roan performing to a small group of bikers who later transform into dancers. Pink Pony Club is named after the narrator’s referral of herself as a “pink pony girl” which nicely ties into the song’s theme of liberation and the freedom to openly express oneself, whereas its B-side Naked in Manhattan talks of desire for physical contact and thrives from the falsetto on the chorus, particularly on the title. California is actually less than positive about the place where Roan’s dreams laid as she misses her home state of Missouri. Opening and closing on piano, the middle piece is met with marching drums as the track provides some different instrumentation. Last but certainly not least, Guilty Pleasure teases a slow close to the album before revealing itself as a fun synth-infused final track. In conclusion, this album has it all. A delicate balance of upbeat catchy pop wrapped up in energetic synth and slower, honest tracks. Innovative lyrics that are split between joyous, heart-wrenching and erotic. Themes of self-discovery, self-acceptance, love, sexuality, heartbreak and sadness. Bold and open storytelling. Impressive vocals that can hit the high notes perfectly. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is easily one of the best pop albums of all time. This is not a review, but if it was, it would definitely score 10/10.


Looking ahead, it’s been almost a year since her last release, so here’s hoping we’ll be getting some new music from Roan soon while she’s still hot in the limelight. With so much potential and talent, it would be interesting to see her experiment with new genres and sounds but whatever is next, we can be confident it will be good!


So, in 2024, a year in which Charli XCX gave us a Brat summer, Taylor Swift delivered her new album The Tortured Poets Department and concluded her groundbreaking Eras tour, Dua Lipa brought us Radical Optimism, the follow-up to her incredible Future Nostalgia album and Sabrina Carpenter dominated the charts with Espresso and Please Please Please from her album Short n’ Sweet, that is why American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan earned the title of Audio Visual’s Artist of 2024 and claimed the crown upon year-end. Her Midwest Princess’ crown.

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