Your favorite artists favorite artist: Grading Downfall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan

 Written by Danny Albers 

When I first heard people talking about Chappell Roan, this midwestern pop diva from Missouri who’s been performing on the internet and in small local venues for years before her massive explosion on the mainstream music scene, I was mesmerized. It was like Madonna and Lady Gaga had a baby and a gay Kesha was writing her lyrics. Her pop anthems and catchy choruses pull you in. Given her talent and her humble beginnings, it’s no reason why she's been labeled “your favorite artist's favorite artist.” 

So of course, I pulled up her 2023 album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and was baffled by the cutesy pop songs mixed with the raw, vulnerable, and very real ballads. Her songs about relationships aren’t your typical Romeo and Juliet style love songs where it’s all rainbows and butterflies. Instead, it's a realistic picture of navigating this generation's complicated “hook up culture” whilst trying to find love. 

From combatting the girl who's going through a phase and only looks at Chappell as a fun time experiment, denying the emotions that Chappell knows lie beneath the surface, to feeling used and taken for granted for by constantly falling into the “casual” relationship trap. Despite having a different perspective on sexuality, Chappell’s lyrics and songs resonated with me because of the uncertainties of being in your late 20s and early 30s, tired of being stuck in a loop of casual flings whilst trying to make them become something more special. I feel her pain, I feel her joy, and I feel her attitude in all these songs. 

Songs like “Pink Pony Club,” “Hot to Go,” and “Red Wine Supernova,” have become my new guilty pleasure songs while songs like “casual” and “coffee” I scream sing in the safety of my own room. Her voice is so unique and interesting to me. Her range is incredible as she can bring it low to Billie Eilish levels and raise it high like a power ballad queen. 

Although it’s not obvious, she does have a slight twang to her sound that reminds you of one of your favorite country pop princesses. Her anthem style writing is speaking right to the LGBTQ+ community, and she is giving people a sort of representation and relatability that’s fairly unique to a group of people who don’t feel completely accepted by pop culture (even though pop culture disingenuously tells them they do). It’s someone singing about queer experiences, but you don’t need to be queer to relate to her. She’s normalizing her sexuality to not just her direct community, but normalizing her community to people who are different from her. What I’m saying is whatever your sexual identity is, these experiences are being a young human in 2024, and if you’ve ever felt like finding love is extremely complicated, and you find yourself frustrated by labels and let-downs of dating, then you can be part of the Chappell Roan army. 

Album Grade: 8.7/10