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On Thursday, August 1, the self-proclaimed “Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan appeared on the Lollapalooza stage dressed in a cotton candy outfit alongside a face mask. She quickly went viral online as she performed her hit dance-pop tunes Red Wine Supernova and Naked in Manhattan, among others, at Chicago’s Grant Park.
X users @rmjroan, @bestofchappell, and @JorgeGuapo22 were just a few among the many who took to the social networking site to share clips of Chappell Roan’s (whose real name is Kayleigh Amstutz) performance. Videos of her concert had amassed millions of views on the social networking site.
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For those uninitiated, Chappell Roan released her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in September 2023. The Willard, Missouri, native amassed a cult fandom for her niche drag queen performances.
The traditional understanding of drag means the act of cross-dressing from one’s assigned birth sex. This would mean that those born male would become drag queens, while those born female would become drag kings. However, such stereotypes have been let go, with Chappell Roan, a drag queen, leaning into her hyperfeminine side.
More about Chappell Roan as Lollapalooza performance goes viral online
The 26-year-old began her musical journey when she was just a teenager. She uploaded covers on YouTube and eventually got noticed by record labels. In 2017, she signed with Atlantic Resorts and debuted with her EP School Nights.
She debuted with the stage name Chappell Roan, taking inspiration from her grandfather, Dennis Chappell, and her favorite song, The Strawberry Roan. As she advanced in her career, she opened her show with, “Don’t call me baby, and don’t call me Kayleigh.”
However, she was dropped by the music label in 2020. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, she said:
“I was working the drive-through and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think I'm just going to go to school’ because I really wanted to be... I still want to be an art therapist where I go into schools and do art through craft therapy.”
However, in 2022, she landed a publishing deal with Sony and released her cult-favorite Naked in Manhattan track.
She has since become an icon in drag performance, with her musical talent adored by many. Chappell Roan has also amassed over 3.4 million followers on Instagram. Speaking about her Chappell Roan alter ego, Amstutz revealed to Vox that Kayleigh was ashamed of being extravagant and joyful while Chappell wore clownish makeup unreservedly.
Her The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess album was widely celebrated by many as it was released at a time when drag performances were being criminalized in the United States. Roan stated that the album gave her a sense of liberation as she could embrace authenticity.
“The whole project is to honor my 10-year-old self. My whole persona is just me trying to honor that version of myself that I was never allowed to be,” Roan said in an interview with Paper.
Meanwhile, Roan has taken to Instagram to share glimpses of her Lollapalooza performance and to thank fans for their support.
