It’s rare to witness the minting of a new pop star, but in the case of Chappell Roan, there’s striking visual evidence that her career has taken off. The 26-year-old singer, who , in September 2023, has been drawing enormous crowds at festivals and concerts over the last few months. On May 26, the Boston Calling Music Festival with headliners like Ed Sheeran and Megan Thee Stallion, but newcomer Roan stole the show.
Drone footage showed a sea of fans gathered to see her perform songs like “Hot To Go” and “Casual” throughout the festival grounds. By the time June 9 rolled around, Roan kept the momentum going with a performance at New York City’s Governors Ball Music Festival, where she covered herself in green body paint to resemble the Statue of Liberty. To the gigantic crowd gathered around her, she announced that she declined an offer from the White House to perform at a Pride event.
“We want liberty, freedom and justice for all,” Roan onstage. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.” The rapid ascendancy of Chappell Roan should be taught in classrooms across the country — Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) Four days before she took the stage at Bonnaroo, the Tennessee festival moved her performance from a tent to a main outdoor stage to accommodate a larger crowd — and it’s a good thing it did.
, some of Roan’s fans started lining up for her performance at 3:30 a.m. Footage from the June 16 set shows audience members packing the space.
What sets R.