On February 23rd 2024, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour’s lights went up for its first show. Opening for the star was a close friend of Rodrigo’s, Chappell Roan. This was not Roan’s first time opening for Rodrigo, as she had also opened for the Sour tour back in 2021. But this time it was different. One song changed the entire course of everything to come for Roan. This time, Chappell Roan had HOT-TO-GO! And tiktok loved it.
Unless you missed the entire summer of 2024, you probably have at least heard some of Chappell’s HOT-TO-GO! The catchy, girly beat wormed its way into everyone’s brains. But the earworm wasn’t the only reason this song got launched into the public spotlight. While playing the song, Chappell invites the audience to do a simple choreographed dance to go along with the song. And tiktok ate this dance up. This reincarnation of the YMCA has made its way to every corner of the internet. Now, Chappell, who was once a small artist from Missouri was now viable for the label of superstar.
After HOT-TO-GO! some of Roan’s other songs began to reach the top 10 charts. Most notably Casual and Good Luck, Babe! Another boost to her fame was her Gov Ball and Coachella performances, where she accumulated crowds bigger than some of the headliners. No doubt, Chappell had gained quite the fanbase. Fans praised her individuality, as a queer artist bringing campy pop back into the picture. Now on her ‘Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ tour she has been consistently selling out shows.
But, this glory does not come without consequence. As of late at shows, Chappell has expressed the exhaustion that this sudden rise in popularity has brought on and the effect it has had on her mental health. This sentiment did not call off any crazy paparazzi or make anything get better, quite the contrary. In the past few months Roan has acquired multiple stalkers, members of her family have been doxxed, and the crushing scrutiny of the public eye has only focused on her further.
The viciousness of these so-called “fans” caused Roan to make a public statement on her tiktok, Roan says “…that does not make it okay.” Yet again, this led to further hate towards the artist as many continued to say that this is just part of the job.
Roan is not the first to have been stalked and harassed by “fans”. Taylor Swift famously has had multiple stalkers, along with Drew Berrymore, Britney Spears and many more. Again and again it is dismissed as “just part of being famous”. But this excuse begs the question, why even become famous in the first place if this is the status quo? Why would anyone put themselves in a position where their entire livelihood is put on the line for a petty 15 minutes of fame? Is it worth the risk?
As it stands, Roan has mentioned the idea of quitting music entirely due to this whole affair. This is extremely and upsetting to many, as she is a fresh wave of complete and utter unique originality with a bright future ahead of her. If nothing is done about these crimes against artists being brushed off as simply what was signed up for, what’s to guarantee a new generation of artists without them all being scared off? Either something needs to change about how the word “fame” is defined, or we will have to cope with an artistic drought.