What is Chappell Roan's real name? Story behind why singer adopted stage name explored

Chappell Roan, a singer-songwriter from Willard, Missouri, United States, currently dominating the pop music industry as a fresh face, wasn't originally named that. It is a name Roan adopted much later in life.

The singer's real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, given to her by her veterinarian mother and registered nurse father. The first song that the singer-songwriter made - Die Young - was also uploaded to YouTube under the name Kayleigh Rose back in November 2014.

It was not until two years later that Chappell adopted her now stage name, with her grandfather's death in the same year playing a key role in the decision.

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Chappell Roan's stage name is a homage to her grandfather

Chappell Roan was in an interview with Cherwell in August 2022 when the subject of her adopted stage name came up. When asked how the Casual singer went from "Kayleigh Rose" to "Chappell Roan," she responded that she had never liked her given name. The 26-year-old further added:

"I have never felt super connected to my real name Kayleigh. My grandfather’s name was Dennis K. Chappell, so I took Chappell in his honor. Before he passed away in 2016 due to brain cancer, I told him that I was going to be Chappell for him."

Sharing the story behind the second part of her stage name, Chappell said:

"Roan came from his favorite song, which was called the Strawberry Roan, an old Western song about a pinkish red horse. It’s a very sentimental name. I do still wish my name was not Kayleigh in real life, though."

Chappell Roan's grandfather, Dennis K. Chappell, died of brain cancer in 2016, the same year that she adopted her stage name.

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Roan reveals she wanted "to be like Hannah Montana"

Disney's D23 event was hosted in Anaheim on August 9, 2024. In the event's Legend Awards Ceremony, Chappell Roan introduced Miley Cyrus as the recipient of the Disney Legend Award, where she revealed herself to be a huge Miley fan.

Recalling one of the singer's concerts as the first one Roan had ever attended, Chappell said:

"Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana tour with Jonas Brothers opening was my first concert ever. She came down in a box from the ceiling. I was like, ‘How do I do that one day?’ I still think about it. I still think about the show. I want to be like Hannah Montana."

The Femininomenon singer further added:

"There’s a lot of crossover between Miley and my project, and it’s just like, I’m such a fan too."

Further in her introduction, Chappell Roan opened up about the qualities of Miley Cyrus which made the 26-year-old admire her so much, stating that the Disney alum has constantly been reinventing herself and it always works. Roan also talked about how this could seem inauthentic for a lot of artists, but Miley is very open about her transformations both artistically and personally.

Speaking about Cyrus on Drew Afualo's The Comment Section podcast earlier in July, Chappell Roan talked about getting a party invite from her:

"Miley invited me to a party, and I was like, ‘You don’t know that you were my first concert when the Jonas Brothers were opening for you.'"

Miley Cyrus made history last weekend as the youngest artist to be honored as a Disney Legend in the history of the award show.