This year has been Chappell Roan’s. Roan won the Grammy for best new artist on Sunday night, fresh off a festival circuit that broke records.
Known for speaking her mind, Roan stuck to her acceptance speech. She made a number of thank-yous and then kept her word to herself.
Reading from a diary, Roan started, “I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry that makes millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists.”
Halfway into the event on Sunday night, Roan had already changed out of many different costumes and was wearing a large cone hat onstage. She giggled as she started her speech, and it immediately slid off.
As she went on, Roan described how she was dropped from her label after being signed as a juvenile and how, like other people, she struggled to find employment during the epidemic and was unable to pay for health insurance.
She claimed that feeling so dedicated to my craft and feeling dehumanized by the system’s betrayal was heartbreaking.
Roan said that a company I was giving my all to could have taken care of me if her label had put her and other artists’ wellbeing first.
In conclusion, Roan stated that record labels must regard their artists as valuable workers by paying them a living wage and providing them with protection and health insurance.
We got you, Labels, but do you have us? She came to a conclusion.
Throughout her speech, the audience stood up and cheered loudly, with peers in the music industry obviously supporting her.
In just a few months, Roan’s record, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” shot to the top of the charts this year. Her loud and distinctive style draws attention on every red carpet, and she has drawn enormous crowds to music festivals.
Roan’s album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” was nominated for album of the year on Sunday night. Her song “Good Luck Babe!” is a contender for both song of the year and record.
She also competed but lost for best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance.