Chappell Roan says she’s “going to say something controversial” if she wins at Grammys
"What do I have to lose?"
by Tom Skinner · NMEChappell Roan has promised to “say something controversial” during her Grammys acceptance speech, should she win at next year’s ceremony.
The singer-songwriter is nominated for six awards at the event, including Best New Artist, Album Of The Year (‘The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess’), and Song and Record Of The Year (‘Good Luck, Babe!’).
Speaking to Zane Lowe on A Carpool Karaoke Christmas, Roan explained: “I don’t have a speech yet, but you know me. I’m going to say something controversial. Why not? Girl, what do I have to lose?
“The fearlessness comes from in my heart knowing I’m always going to be OK.”
She told Lowe that the Grammys were “such a double-edged sword” for her, “because I’m like, ‘Yes, it is a talent show for the popular kids’”.
Roan added: “But the other side is, ‘Oh my God, how amazing is it that a gay artist wrote a gay song that went Number One, with a gay writer who did not grow up in the industry, did not have an in, has been busting her ass for like a decade?’
“That’s honourable to me. It’s an honour to be nominated with some of the other artists.”
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The ‘Hot To Go!’ star shares the Best New Artist category with Benson Boone, Doechii, Khruangbin, Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
Back in September, Roan looked ahead to her potential nominations in the awards season. “My mom would love to go to the Grammys or the BRITs,” she told The Face.
“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!” She added: “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 fucking thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, overextending yourself, not sleeping. You get bigger the more unhealthy you are. Isn’t that so fucked 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.”
Roan has made headlines with her comments about fame on her ascent to stardom. During the same interview with The Face, the former NME Cover star vented about the normalisation of extreme fan behaviour, including “stalking, talking shit online, [people who] won’t leave you alone [and] yelling at you in public”. She added: “I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
She also compared fame to “an abusive ex-husband”. Elsewhere, she took to TikTok to share her thoughts on “weird” and “creepy” followers, and called out the “predatory behaviour” of so-called “superfans” that included “nonconsensual physical and social interactions”.
Earlier this year, Roan fired back at a photographer who seemingly told the singer to “shut the fuck up” while at the 2024 MTV VMAs. She later confronted a photographer she said had previously been “disrespectful” towards her.
In addition to her comments about the Grammys, A Carpool Karaoke Christmas saw the pop star reflect on her religious upbringing, and join her parents for a rendition of her hit ‘Pink Pony Club’.
Next summer will see Roan headline Reading & Leeds 2025 alongside Travis Scott, Bring Me The Horizon and Hozier.
Last month, the singer celebrated ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ reaching a massive one billion streams on Spotify.
The standalone single was recently named as NME’s best song of 2024. “With ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, Roan set out to write a ‘big anthemic pop song’. It was an unqualified success: over subtly insistent synth-pop, Roan serves up home truths to someone desperately trying to deny their queerness,” the entry read.
“The chorus – ‘you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling’ – is both pitying and empathetic: a rare combination. It also shows off Roan’s gift for saying something profound in a way no one has quite managed before. If she wants it, the world’s her oyster.”