On February 2, 2025, pop artist Chappell Roan was announced Best New Artist by the Recording Academy – one of the most coveted awards in the music industry. Roan had a spectacular break-out year in 2024; after nearly a decade of performing in small venues and struggling to gain recognition for her artistry, she exploded onto the scene. From her famous Tiny Desk performance to selling out entire festivals across the US despite only featuring as an opener, Roan rewrote the popstar playbook and continued to do so on the Grammys stage.
“I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,” she said in her speech. “I got signed so young – I got signed as a minor. When I got dropped, I had zero job experience, and like most people, I had … quite a difficult time finding a job during the pandemic and [could not] afford insurance. It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized.”
Roan’s speech comes as more and more artists who can “make it” in the music industry are those with affluent backgrounds and familial connections. These artists can afford to invest their lives into a sector that doesn’t provide any financial stability until they reach a pivotal point of success.
Before her victory, the Midwest Princess also took a moment on the red carpet to speak specifically to members of the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed, and they will forever exist, and they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away,” she said. “I would not be here without trans girls. So just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you, and I’m trying my best to stand up for you in every way I can.”
Roan, a lesbian, has modeled her on-stage persona after drag queens. In her US tour, she connected with local drag performers to open for her on each leg. For many in the LGBTQ+ community, her Grammy victory was more than just a moment—it’s symbolic. As trends in everything from fashion to music shift toward conservatism, seeing a lesbian drag queen call out the record industry in front of the world is a powerful message of hope.
