Midwest princess Chappell Roan faces the harsh reality of fame

Chappell Roan at the Hollywood Palladium on 11/18/2022 for Pass The Aux via Wikicommons.

Chappell Roan: a name mostly unheard of until thousands of fans, 4.9 million Instagram followers and 45 million Spotify listeners later. She went from playing at small venues to performing at Coachella and Lollapalooza. 

Just as fast as her popularity grew, the personal effects of her fame intensified, and they weren’t all positive. The fiery-red-haired singer has not shied away from being vulnerable and genuine about her struggles with fame.

 Hearing your name chanted every night seems like an ego boost. However, it can begin to take a mental toll on the artist when the chants turn into harassment and stalking on the streets.

Chappell Roan is living proof that you never truly know what someone is going through. 

While she puts on a show for her audience, she is also putting up a front, disguising her battle with depression with an animated stage presence. 

The “Good Luck, Babe!”’ singer got candid in an interview with The Guardian, opening about therapy and disclosing her diagnosis with “severe depression.” As people were trying to figure out the celebrity they thought they knew, she was behind the scenes also trying to figure out herself. 

She expresses how she “didn’t think [she] had [depression] because [she’s] not actually sad.”Roan’s honest, open opinions about the abusive side of the music industry separates her from other artists. Though some appreciate her blunt, unfiltered persona, others criticize it. 

Some argue she should have known that the experiences she has described are simply the less pleasant side effects of fame and only a small price to pay for a significant salary. 

In one of her statements, Roan expressed how she “chose this career path because [she] love[s] music and art and honoring [her] inner child.” Somewhere along the way of fame, music lost its childlike innocence. 

Being undeniably talented, people eventually discovered her. She couldn’t have predicted her small crowds  growing into thousands. How was she supposed to know she was going to be one of the “lucky ones” who made it in the highly-competitive industry? 

In an Instagram post dedicated to the one year anniversary of her debut album, “The Rise & Fall of a Midwest Princess,” she writes “thank you thank you thank you for everything,” in the caption. 

A space for complaints and vulnerability is also a space for humility and gratitude for life, success and financial stability that not everyone is able to say they have. Considering many criticized her for her lack of gratitude, this statement came at the right time for her reputation. 

Roan’s honesty sparked other artists to speak out about facing similar issues themselves. Madison Beer, the “Make You Mine” singer, took to her Instagram story to explain why she doesn’t take photos with fans at hotels she is staying at, saying it, “can put [her] in danger.” 

Chappell Roan, Madison Beer and more celebrities’ pleas for privacy make waves throughout the entertainment industry and could change it for the better.