Behind The Cover with Chappell Roan: “NME always has the cool girls”

Chappell Roan and collaborators tell us how the pop star’s Cover came together NME’s flagship franchise The Cover turns one this month! Join us in celebrating our cover series and the emerging talent it spotlights by going behind the scenes of select Cover stories – here, ascendant pop star Chappell Roan. Whenever Chappell Roan creates anything – be that music, videos, or photoshoots – she thinks about her younger self. “I just think, ‘What would 10-year-old Kayleigh want, or want to dance to?’” she explains.

It’s a question that has been incredibly powerful for the 26-year-old pop icon-in-waiting. Reflecting on what she would have wanted in her youth has allowed Roan to connect with her inner child. “Once I [did that], my whole career changed.

” When NME catches up with Roan, she’s on the road as the support act for Olivia Rodrigo ’s ‘Guts’ tour – just one example of the big moves she’s making right now. She’s set to headline London’s 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo later this year, scored huge acclaim for her 2023 debut album ‘ The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess ’, and has landed her first cover girl moment with NME . “I’ve never been on the cover of anything, and it’s such a cool first cover,” she says excitedly.

“ NME always has the cool girls, so it’s iconic to be part of that.” For the shoot, she took her usual desire to “look like a drag queen” and added a cheeky British twist. “I’m wearing the Union J.