Madeline Corderman

Though known worldwide as Chappell Roan, Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, born in Willard, Missouri, found her love for music when she started to play piano at ten years old. At age fourteen, she began writing and singing songs. She released covers and recordings of this music on YouTube. Her posts caught the attention of Atlantic Records, one of the most successful record labels in the United States. She signed with Atlantic at the age of seventeen and adopted her stage name a year later: Chappell Roan.

Under Atlantic Records, Roan released six singles, the most notable being “Pink Pony Club,” which was influenced by a gay bar she visited in Los Angeles. In 2020, the label dropped Roan, since her releases were not performing well. She moved back to Missouri for a short time, working at a drive-through until she was able to move back to Los Angeles and give her musical career another chance. It wasn’t until 2023 that her work started to gain traction with two headlining tours and the release of her debut full-length album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

Filming sites in the “Hot to Go!” music video might be recognizable to a seasoned Springfieldian with locations such as Fun Acre Miniature Golf Course, the world’s 2^nd tallest fork, the “Wild Horses” mural by Susan Sommer-Luarca, the Gillioz Theater, and the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. Others aren’t obvious, like Andy’s Frozen Custard on East Sunshine Street, which is just one of seven stores in Springfield. In the video, Roan teaches her grandparents, fans, and local drag queens her dance, spelling with their arms the song title “H-O-T-T-O-G-O!”. The energetic chant and sequined wardrobe are all inspired by Roan’s childhood dream of being a cheerleader. She didn’t know then just how far her voice would carry.

Earlier this month, Roan performed at MTV’s Video Music Awards, where she sang her most recent release “Good Luck Babe!”. Following the fame of Midwest Princess, this track put her on the leaderboard for Billboard’s Hot 100 and currently occupies fourth place. “Good Luck, Babe!” alongside “Red Wine Supernova” and “Hot to Go!” were each nominated at the Video Music Awards, but Roan ultimately won the Best New Artist award. In her acceptance speech, she dedicated her win to the LGBTQ+ community and mentioned its influence on her work. Despite the slow beginnings of Roan’s career, pop music fans and Midwesterners alike are eager to watch Roan’s further rise to fame.