What did Chappell Roan do before fame? Singer worked as a nanny and barista

Chappell Roan, though not new to music, found global fame in 2023 with her debut studio album. Before her success, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter worked various odd jobs, including as a nanny, barista, and production assistant, to make ends meet. She even had to move back home to Missouri for a while because she couldn't afford to live in Los Angeles.

After several months, Chappell Roan started making music again, this time independently, which led to her partnering with Island Records in early 2023, through which she released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

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Chappell Roan took many odd jobs after being dropped by Atlantic Records

In September 2023, shortly after Chappell Roan's debut studio album was released, People magazine interviewed the singer to talk about it. Tracing her path to stardom, Roan recalled how she was dropped by her first record label - Atlantic Records.

“I lost all my money and had to move home,” the singer said.

Upon returning to Missouri, her first job was at a coffee kiosk where every order needed to be prepared under 60 seconds, Pitchfork reported. Following the job, she also started taking up nannying as a part-time job and worked as a production assistant. Remembering the experience, Roan added:

"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.'"

It was around that time when Chappell Roan first came to terms with her queerness. According to Pitchfork, the singer-songwriter went on dates with a few girls to realize that she wasn't interested in men. Talking about it, Roan said:

"I’m not attracted to them, I don’t like having s** with them, I don’t think they understand me, I don’t think they make good art."

As the singer came to accept her identity as a queer, she made Naked in Manhattan, an independently released single track that highlights her wanting to blur the boundaries of friendship with a female friend. The music video of the track was recorded in thrift stores with her friends.

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Chappell Roan stated that TikTok "breeds mental illness"

By the time Chappell Roan started making independent music in 2022, she also started posting content on TikTok regularly, where she gained "a cult fandom" according to People magazine.

When asked about the same in her 2023 People Interview, the Red Wine Supernova singer answered that was using the platform to display her "personality and the inner workings" of her music. Roan further added:

"I feel like it was hell most of the time trying to get it together as an independent artist and also having a part-time job."

In the same year, Chappell Roan was also diagnosed with bipolar II disorder. She opened up about struggling with her mental health even after gaining exposure on the social media platform, saying:

"The app breeds mental illness. When I was really, really sick and I was posting twice a day and going live every day, it rewards that type of behavior. I had to really figure out what was right for me, and I'm still figuring that out."

As the singer-songwriter continued to release other songs like My Kink is Karma, Femininomenon, and Casual, her TikTok fanbase continued to grow.

People reported that by September 2023, Roan's following had crossed 155,000 on the platform. Admitting how she had to learn to be okay with "being cringe" on social media, the Missouri-based singer added:

“It just was really difficult for me to learn how to express myself on TikTok in a way that didn't feel like I was just dead inside, because I think most artists feel like social media is soul-sucking for art.”

Chappell, who has already done opening acts for Fletcher and Olivia Rodrigo in the past, revealed that she would love to open for Dua Lipa in her interview. She also shared her dream of joining RuPaul's Drag Race as a judge someday in the future.