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SHE is the breakout act of 2024, with a meteoric rise to fame and a sound that has been praised by megastars including Lady Gaga and Elton John.
But after scoring 23 weeks in the singles chart Top Ten, hitting No1 with debut album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess and performing a sell-out European tour, has it all started to go wrong for Chappell Roan?
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The Hot To Go singer, 26, has earned the unfortunate nickname “Chappell Moan” following a string of public outbursts and clashes.
And yesterday, The Sun revealed she had fired the man who helped guide her to superstar status — her manager Nick Bobetsky — in a row over her future.
Now there are real concerns for the health and career of pop’s prickliest new talent.
Last week, she was spotted shouting at a photographer at a premiere in Los Angeles, demanding he apologise for being “rude” to her at a Grammys bash in February.
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‘Fame is just abuse’
That came just weeks after she clashed with a mouthy snapper at the MTV VMAs — where she was crowned Best New Artist — swearing back at him on the red carpet.
She cancelled several shows recently, including two festival gigs last month, which she put down to feeling “overwhelmed” and under pressure.
Chappell has even claimed she hopes NOT to win any more awards for her music — because it is too stressful.
She revealed: “My mom would love to go to the Grammys or the Brits.
“I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my ass. ‘See guys, we did it and we didn’t win, bye!’. I won’t have to do this again!”
Over the summer, Chappell divided her followers when she had a TikTok rant, hitting out at fans who approached her or asked for selfies.
She said: “I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever, is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous.
“I don’t care that it’s normal.
“I don’t give a f*** if you think it’s selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time or for a hug.
“That’s not normal.
“That’s weird.
“It’s weird how people think you know a person just because you see them online or because you listen to the art they make.
“I’m allowed to say no to creepy behaviour.”
But many fans have continued to back her, saying it is refreshing to see someone calling out things she is not comfortable with — and insisting it is a Gen Z trait to be a no- nonsense straight-talker.
Chappell has previously said she is not comfortable with fans wanting to get up close to her, explaining: “I feel like fame is just abusive.
“The vibe of this — stalking, talking s**t online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public — is the vibe of an abusive ex-husband.
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“That’s what it feels like.
“I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
She added: “Every time I walk through my front door, it just comes out of me.
“I can’t even help it.
“I start sobbing and either being so angry at myself for choosing this path, or grieving how the curiosity and pure wonder I had about the world is somewhat taken away from me.”
The road to stardom has been a rollercoaster for US singer-songwriter Chappell, who is the eldest of four children.
Mum Kara is a vet, and dad Dwight is the manager of a medical practice.
Chappell has said she grew up in a trailer park and started getting into music at the age of 11.
By the time she was 14, she had auditioned for America’s Got Talent, but was swiftly rejected.
However, she was scouted by music executives after posting song covers to YouTube, and thought she had found her big break when, in 2015, aged 17, she signed a deal with Atlantic Records, who look after acts such as Bruno Mars and Cardi B.
While juggling the stresses and strains of trying to make it in showbusiness, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In 2022, Chappell spoke about how she had been receiving treatment.
She wrote on her Instagram: “I’ve been in intensive outpatient therapy/individual therapy four days a week and it’s definitely been difficult to balance promoting and being consistently active on social media.”
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Then, in an interview last month with The Face magazine, she conceded she was struggling.
She said: “I feel ambitious about making this sustainable.
“That’s my biggest goal right now.
“My brain is like, ‘Quit right now, take next year off’.
“This industry and artistry f***ing thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, overextending your- self, not sleeping.
“You get bigger the more unhealthy you are.
“Isn’t that so f***ed up?
“The ambition is, how do I not hate myself, my job, my life, and do this?
“Because right now, it’s not working.
“I’m just scrambling to try to feel healthy.”
In the last week, Chappell has been confirmed as a headliner for next June’s Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona and appears to have teased a new project on Instagram.
With a nod to hit dating show Love Island, she wrote on Tuesday: “Album kinda popped off but it’s time to welcome a hot new bombshell into the villa.”
It should be a real boost for Chappell, who first shot up the charts in April with single Good Luck, Babe!, coming after she was dropped by her record label and split from her boyfriend in the same week in 2020.
She ended up working in a drive-thru.
It’s wonderful to see true talent being recognised
Elton John
Fast forward four years and she is one of the world’s most talked-about stars.
Performing at Coachella Festival in California in April, she proclaimed: “I’m your favourite artist’s favourite artist,” and she was not joking.
Elton John has told her, “It’s wonderful to see true talent being recognised”, while Sabrina Carpenter said: “I’ve been just as obsessed with her as everyone has.”
Lady Gaga revealed she is a “huge” fan, Ariana Grande has said she “loves” Chappell and Adele broke off during her Munich residency to tell the crowd: “She is spectacular, and it turns out, she’s not just got one song.
“She’s got, like, seven f***ing brilliant songs.
“I think she’s absolutely amazing.
“I’m very excited for her but my friend also said she’s a bit scared.
“So, do what you gotta do, baby girl, but you’re phenomenal.”
Chappell released her debut album last September, but it failed to crack the Top 100 here at the time.
In April, she had 5million monthly listeners on Spotify, but that has risen to 44million in just a few short months.
‘This is really hard’
However, being the toast of the music industry appears to be taking its toll.
Previously, Chappell — whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, but who describes her pop star identity as a “drag queen version of myself” — said: “This is really weird and really hard.
“In the past, honestly, eight weeks, my entire life has changed.
“I never really expected it to grow this big.
“I’ve never not been myself.
“I’m really glad the persona that I have, the drag version, is still very much me.
“It exploded within four weeks.
“All of a sudden I had an album charting that came out in September.”
One thing is for sure, Chappell, will do things her own way.
She said: “I hope I look back and still stand behind all the nos that I’ve said, because I say no to pretty much everything right now.
“I don’t want to f***ing go back into the mental hospital because I don’t know how to handle my emotions.
“I hope I don’t look back and I’m like, ‘Damn, if I just would’ve sucked it up and pushed a little harder’.
“I don’t think I will, but I’m always scared of that.”
Now the concern is whether this forthright star can navigate the industry while burning bridges left, right and centre.
She is one of the most talented musicians around.
But it remains to be seen if Chappell can claw things back and avoid a reputation as music’s newest diva.
