Corvid's Corner - May 2024 🎤🎶
Welcome to Corvid’s Corner! This is a place for me to geek out about whatever video game I’m playing or music I’m listening to, and write about it in a longer form than a staff pick. If you try this album on for size, please let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Today, I’m talking about The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan. If Chappell Roan has one million fans, I’m one of them. If Chappell Roan has one fan, I’m the one. If Chappell Roan has no fans, that means I’m dead. Chappell Roan is a stellar pop artist who is gaining popularity, and I am thrilled. I’ve been following her music for a while now, and I’m very glad this glittery pop girlie has a growing fan base. Her music is heavily inspired by 80s synth and early 2000s pop sounds, and while I’m not typically a pop fan, something about Chappell scratches my brain and gets me singing along. She has a wide vocal range, and her alto goes much deeper than I expected when hearing her higher register. Her voice is so beautiful! She’s a talented piano player and songwriter as well. I enjoy that she runs the gamut from super upbeat tunes like Pink Pony Club to piano ballads like Coffee.
Pink Pony Club is probably my favorite song from the album. “I know you wanted me to stay / But I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in L.A / And I heard that there's a special place / Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day…” She gained inspiration from a fun night of dancing at a West Hollywood gay club called The Abbey. Chappell is originally from a small town in Missouri, moved to L.A for more opportunities, and carved out a place for herself there. She says she feels like she could be her truer self in L.A. The music video for Pink Pony Club opens with Chappell nervously performing on stage in a dive bar full of bikers. No one is paying attention to her. As the song progresses, she leaves the stage and is joined by a guitar-wielding drag queen. People finally take notice. The crowd loves her! I think this speaks to her real experience in the music industry. It’s been a bit of an uphill climb for her.
Chappell Roan has played piano and made music from a young age. She was discovered on YouTube when she was 17, signed with Atlantic Records, and was later dropped because her songs didn’t get enough hits. At one point, she had to move back to Missouri. I think she’s finally getting her flowers years later, and she’s doing so much good with it. Every show on her tour features drag performers local to wherever the band is playing, and Chappell encourages fans to tip them. She gives money to a black trans charity called For the Gworls, and she even has a scholarship to raise funds for fans of the band that can’t afford tickets. I think it’s so important to give back to the folks that helped bring artists to stardom, and I think she is doing a great job. Chappell was quoted in a Vanity Fair article, “it's really important to know that not only are you coming to a concert for yourself, but you are supporting the community.” She’s truly fostering a community.
Must listen: Red Wine Supernova, Pink Pony Club, and After Midnight.
For a campy pop album that you can really dance to, listen to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
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