Chappell Roan’s rise is one of the most remarkable stories in recent pop history. Signed to a major label at seventeen, dropped at twenty-one, and then — through sheer force of talent, personality, and some of the best pop songs written in years — she became one of the defining artists of 2024.

The Secret: the songs are genuinely extraordinary. Good Luck, Babe! is a perfect pop single. Hot To Go is a camp masterpiece. Red Wine Supernova is the kind of euphoric indie-pop song that Mitski might write if she wanted to make you dance rather than cry. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, her debut album, announced an artist with real vision.

What makes Roan compelling beyond the music is her persona — a kind of heightened, theatrical glamour that references drag culture, 1980s pop, and small-town Midwest experience simultaneously. She is an original, and in pop music, that is increasingly rare.