What did Chappell Roan say about drag queens? Singer defined her album as "just daydreams in drag" 

Following the release of Chappell Roan's debut studio album - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - the Willard-based singer was interviewed by People magazine in September 2023. In her interview, when the subject of having local drag queens open for her on her recent Naked in North America tour came up, Chappell said:

"It's just a great way to engage the local queer community to that city. I encourage people to tip the [drag] queens, that's redistributing funds within the community there, and also it just gives a platform for the drag queens. Some of these queens have never performed in front of a crowd that big before, and it's just fun.”

Roan also revealed in the interview that the inspiration for letting drag queens open for her on tour came from the 2018 of Orville Peck at The Troubador in West Hollywood. After watching the show, the singer-songwriter decided to book drag queens to open for her if she ever headlined a show.

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Chappelle Roan said her debut studio album was inspired by drag shows

Chappell Roan has been driven to drag queens since the initial days of her career. According to People, her sleeper hit Pink Pony Club, released in March 2020, was a homage to the drag culture. The track, which was named the Song of the Summer 2021 by Vulture in December 2021, also made way for Roan to embrace her queer awakening.

In a September 2023 interview with People magazine, Chappell Roan talked about her recently released album - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Opening up about her inspirations behind crafting the album, Roan revealed how drag shows were her main inspirations, alongside the 1995 classic movie Showgirls and burlesque dancers.

In Chappell's words, her album was "just daydreams in drag," which could only happen after the Red Wine Supernova singer had worked on embracing herself "unapologetically."

In a press conference that Chappell Roan conducted before the release of her debut album, the Die Young singer mentioned it to be about "the birth of my queerness," For The Punk reported. Talking about drag as an integral part of her career, Roan said:

"I think that drag has really inspired this project in the styling, makeup, performance, music videos – really, the energy around the entire show!"

The 26-year-old further added:

"Campiness is at the forefront of the project and the identity, and I think that is also at the forefront of drag – campiness, over-the-top, [it is] supposed to be fun and dramatic!"

Elsewhere in her People interview, when Chappell Roan was asked about her dream projects, she mentioned that she wanted to join RuPaul's Drag Race as a judge someday. Other dream projects of Roan included opening a show for Dua Lipa and co-headlining an event with Trixie Mattel and the indie pop girl band MUNA.

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Chappell Roan invited Sasha Colby on stage in July 2024

On July 19, 2024, Washington's Capitol Hill Block Party was hosted in Seattle, where Chappell Roan appeared as a performer, with other celebrities like Remi Wolf (who headlined the show), Elderbrook, Slow Pulp, The Beaches, Cobrah, and more.

Even though Roan wasn't headlining the event, she still drew a sizeable crowd to her set, which went wild as the singer invited a special guest mid-performance.

While Chappell performed on Hot To Go, she invited drag queen Sasha Colby, who won RuPaul's Drag Race in 2023. According to Teen Vogue, Colby joined Chappell in the viral dance that goes alongside the track's chorus, making the crowd follow suit.

At the end of the performance, Roan shouted, "Sasha Colby, everyone!" This shows how closely "drag is intertwined with her project."