Chappell Roan Reflects on ‘Amazing & Hard’ Past Year on ‘Midwest Princess’ Anniversary
It’s officially been one year since Chappell Roan altered the course of her career with the release of debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and the 26-year-old musician didn’t let the anniversary pass without marking the occasion on Instagram Sunday (Sept. 22).
Sharing a photo of herself holding up a Midwest Princess vinyl in front of a wall of promotional posters for the project, Roan wrote that her life “has been changed forever” in the 12 months since she dropped the 14-track LP.
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“this has been amazing and hard and beautiful and eye opening and empowering and transformative and every emotion ever,” she continued. “Thank you thank you thank you for everything. Thank you for showing up for this project and believing in me.”
The Missouri native also noted that the success she’s experienced over the past year wouldn’t have been possible without the help of “a team of people working their a–es off day and night to keep this afloat.” “I am so lucky and feel so loved,” she added.
Produced by Dan Nigro, Midwest Princess didn’t fully take flight until several months after its September 2023 release. After gaining traction with her opening stint on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour this past spring, Roan debuted at No. 127 on the Billboard 200 in April. She’s steadily climbed the chart in the months since thanks in part to her headline-making performances at festivals over the summer, and in late August, Midwest Princess finally reached No. 2.
None of the album’s songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 until June, when “Red Wine Supernova” and “Hot to Go!” finally entered the ranking. Since then, Roan’s also notched entries with “My Kink Is Karma,” “Pink Pony Club,” “Casual” and “Femininomenon,” though her biggest hit to date is still No. 6-peaking follow-up single “Good Luck, Babe!”
And though the rollercoaster ride has led to some major highs — a best new artist win at the 2024 VMAs, for instance — Roan has also been open about the lows of fame. “I went to a psychiatrist last week because I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on,’” she revealed in a recent interview with The Guardian.
“She diagnosed me with severe depression — which I didn’t think I had because I’m not actually sad,” Roan continued. “But I have every symptom of someone who’s severely depressed. I think it’s because my whole life has changed. Everything that I really love to do now comes with baggage.”
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