BBC Radio 1 has crowned Chappell Roan the winner of its annual Sound of poll, recognizing music’s biggest rising stars. She won the award after a significant turnout from more than 180 musicians and experts, including Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, and Sam Smith. Chappell Roan’s music is influenced by the 80s, and she has made a name for herself with her colourful brand of synth-pop.
Jack Saunders, a Radio 1 New Music show host, said that nobody deserved the accolade more than Chappell Roan. He added that she was the most captivating artist of the previous 12 months and will remain so for the next 12.
Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Amstutz, grew up in a conservative Missouri city called Willard, where she was taught that being gay was a sin, and attended three church services per week. Despite the challenges, she signed her first record deal in 2017, thanks to her song Die Young, which she had uploaded to YouTube. However, her first album didn’t make a significant impact, and she was eventually dropped by her label during the pandemic.
Fortunately, Pink Pony Club, a recording of a song inspired by a visit to an LA gay club, helped her create a new camp, free sound with singalong choruses that expressed true liberation. The song’s inspiration also gave her a campy stage persona that she calls “a larger-than-life drag queen version of myself.”
She released her first album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, in September 2023, as a slow-burning success. It only sold a few thousand copies at its initial debut, but her viral performance at California’s Coachella Festival and the success of her single, Good Luck, Babe, propelled her to success. She has been nominated for six Grammy awards, won Best New Artist at the Billboard Music Awards in 2024, and has headlined Reading & Leeds festival
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