Who is Jeff Rabhan? Chappell Roan responds to ex-music executive's criticism of her Grammy-acceptance speech

Singer Chappell Roan won the Grammy award for Best New Artist on February 2, 2025, for her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which was officially dropped in September 2023. In her acceptance speech, Roan decided to shed light on the financial issues that musicians tend to experience. In her speech, the singer said:

"I told myself if I ever won a Grammy, and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry, profiting millions of dollars off of artists, would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists."

Roan spoke about her hardships after she was dropped from Atlantic Records. The singer added that she was very young when she was signed to the label, and after being dropped, she struggled to get a job during the pandemic. Roan claimed that she felt "betrayed by the system" even though she was "committed" to her art form.

Meanwhile, Jeff Rabhan, a well-known artist manager as well as an ex-music executive, wrote an op-ed that was published by The Hollywood Reporter on February 5, 2025. The article with the headline "Chappell Groan: The Misguided Rhetoric of an Instant Industry Insider" tagged her comments as "hackneyed and plagiarized."

For the unversed, Jeff has been in the industry for over two decades.He has worked with several stars, including Lil' Kim, Kelly Clarkson, and Jermaine Dupri. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he joined Rolling Stone shortly after graduating from New York University.

Over the years, he has also worked for SPIN Magazine and Atlantic Records. He is also known to have worked closely with Sony Music Japan International as a marketing consultant.

Chappell Roan responded to Jeff's remarks through stories on Instagram and asked him if he would match her donation amount of $25,000 she made for "struggling dropped artists".

"@jeffrabhan wanna match me $25K to donate to struggling dropped artists? My publicist is @biz3publicity let's talk," she wrote.

In another one, Roan wrote:

"Mr. Rabhan, I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is' Genius!!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same..."

The Pink Pony Club hitmaker added that she will keep everyone updated about Rabhan's response and share the donation receipts.

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"Roan is a product of the same system she’s critiquing"- said Jeff Rabhan about Chappell Roan

During her Grammy acceptance speech, Chappell Roan urged the industry to invest better in young talent and offer them guaranteed healthcare as security.

In the op-ed, Jeff Rabhan described Chappell as someone who was criticizing the system, which she has been a part of. He further claimed that expecting the music industry to pay artists like "salaried individuals" would cause harm to its economic structure. Rabhan additionally mentioned:

"Roan is a product of the same system she’s critiquing. Island, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group (the world’s biggest music company for many years running), didn’t throw down big bucks for fun — they ran the numbers..."

While Rabhan believed that there was scope for improvement in the music industry, remarks given by Chappell Roan during her acceptance speech at the Grammys "lacked the nuanced industry awareness."

Meanwhile, it wasn't just 26-year-old Roan who clapped back at Rabhan for his article. Halsey defended Chappell Roan by slamming Rabhan for the op-ed. The Colors singer called The Hollywood Reporter out through an Instagram story and even accused the outlet of making personal attacks in the name of "critical journalism."

While calling Jeff's article a "ranting, seething tantrum", Halsey also described the outlet to have showcased "boot-licking behavior." Neither the outlet nor Jeff has reacted to the drama as of now.