The allure of a "pop-up" tour from the Midwest Princess herself was one that attracted droves of fans - in pinks and blues and reds - from across the States to the grassy knolls of Brookside at the Rose Bowl. It's a rare feat that an artist has such a pull, only recently repeated by that of Oasis, whose draw was more than a decade in the making.
Chappell Roan's body hair became a topic after the Grammy Award-winning pop star, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, performed at Forest Hills Stadium in New York on 20 September. Dressed in a structured red corset that deserved all the attention, Chappell Roan drew some criticism from trolls who pointed out her visible underarm hair, with some even dubbing it a sign of "bad hygiene".
On Sept. 23, the singer brought her international festival show, Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things, to New York's Forest Hills Stadium as part of a limited series of U.S. pop-up concerts, which show just how far she's come since skyrocketing to pop stardom in 2024. Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things transforms Roan's debut album, The Rise & Fall of a Midwest Princess (plus her chart-topping follow-up singles), into a whimsical fairytale.
Just 18 months ago, she was still playing 2,000-cap amphitheaters in mid-sized cities; by summer's end, she drew the largest crowd (more than 100,000) that Chicago's Lollapalooza festival has ever seen. Her rise was so vertiginous viral Tiny Desk, Grammys best new artist, festival undercard to headliner, international chart takeover that she feels lifetimes away from the artist I saw, stunned by her own zeitgeist earthquake at New York's Governors Ball in June of last year.
The devil, the Statue of Liberty, a glamorous cowgirl, a construction worker, Joan of Arc: These are the dominant archetypes of the costume-clad at Forest Hills Stadium, all here for night two of Chappell Roan 's four-night run. Walking through the venue, I spot not one but two guys dressed as Lady Liberty whose bodies are entirely painted an ashy shade of green;
Following two sensational shows at Reading and Leeds Festivals over the weekend, Chappell Roan is headed to Edinburgh. The Midwest Princess is headlining two sold out shows at the Royal Highland Centre on Tuesday (26 August) and Wednesday (27 August). If her recent shows prove anything, it's that Chappell knows how to put on a show - but we already knew that!
Chappell Roan has officially secured a UK number one with her iconic sapphic breakup anthem "The Subway," reaching the top spot after its release on 1 August.
Chappell Roan's absence from VMA 2025 nominations is surprising given her recent success, including a BRIT Award win and being named Best New Artist last year.
Chappell Roan insists that despite releasing new music, a second album "doesn't exist yet". She explains how her first album and second album will probably share a similar creative process. "It took me five years to write the first one, and it's probably going to take at least five to write the next." Roan does not yield to industry pressure, stating that making good music requires authenticity and cannot be forced. She notes that even if she spent countless hours in the studio, it would not necessarily lead to an album any faster.
"All of a sudden, I realised I could truly be any way I wanted to be, and no one would bat an eye," shared Chappell Roan, reflecting on her experience at The Abbey.
"I didn't, until people started hating me for me and not for my art. When it's not about my art anymore, it's like, 'They hate me because I'm Kayleigh, not because they hate the songs that I make.' That's when it changed."
