Is Chappell Roan's Lesbian Pop Music Changing The World?
Sapphic Summer rages on
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There’s something sapphic in the air this summer, and it all started with Chappell Roan. Since I wrote about her rapid rise in popularity back in April, the Midwest Princess has only gotten bigger. Following viral performances at Governor’s Ball and Lollapalooza (where she reportedly drew the biggest crowd in the festival’s history), her 2023 debut album has continued to climb up the charts, coming in at number two behind Taylor Swift on the Billboard 200 last week.
For longtime fans of Roan, it’s heartening to see her achieve this success, yet it’s also unprecedented. Roan is not just a pop star – she’s a lesbian pop star, and she occupies a cultural space that none before her have reached. Indeed, the enormity of this moment shouldn’t be overlooked. But what does Roan’s popularity really mean for The Culture?
There’s no blueprint for an artist like Chappell Roan, and that’s clear in the media coverage and discussions about her online. Sometimes, her queerness is overlooked, like in the viral X post that called her an “ally.” In other instances, her identity becomes the most important thing about her, particularly considering today’s stormy political climate. Such rhetoric begs the question: What do we – as queer fans – want from Roan? Do we want her lesbian identity to be at the forefront, or do we want her to be treated like any other pop star? For many of us, I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
Speaking to Bowen Yang during her recent profile in Interview Magazine, Roan described the unique responsibility of being a gay pop star. “It’s been really emotional because I’m not just singing pop music, it’s automatically political because I’m gay,” she explained. Though it’s lighthearted and catchy enough to be consumed with a sort of ‘head empty’ mentality, her music signifies much more than what it is on paper – to both her fans and haters.
For Roan’s lesbian and queer fans, feeling represented by or connected to a pop star as big as Roan is a novel experience. In my last piece, I spoke with fans about their relationship to Roan and her music, and many noted that they relate to her expression of queerness and are quite moved by her message. Roan has not only brought the language of lesbian desire to the main stage, but a frank-yet-funny discussion of compulsory heterosexuality as well. Many of Roan’s queer fans feel seen by her music, and now, the music itself has expanded far beyond its initial bubble.
As far as lesbian images go, Roan finds herself almost peerless, despite her frequent homages to famous drag queens (Sasha Colby, Divine, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence). She doesn’t fit within the lineage of 1990s Lilith Fair-esque musicians, nor does she aim for pure sex appeal – her on-stage style is too campy to be called something as basic as ‘pretty’ or ‘hot’ without qualifications, nor does she aim for such a look. Perhaps this is why she has been mistaken for an ally in the past – her association with drag culture and high-femme camp simply isn’t legible as lesbian to some.
Part of the reason the general populace might not know what a lesbian can look or sound like is because lesbian pop culture tends to be quite niche. Straight folks (as well as gay men) don’t often seek out or go out of their way to support lesbian media. If you’re a lesbian or sapphic pop culture fiend, you know this to be true – no one rides for the lesbians apart from other lesbians.
That’s another reason why Roan’s career is so interesting, though the implications of her success aren’t yet clear. Is Roan’s sweeping popularity tantamount to a broader support of lesbians? Or is her queerness only incidental to her success? These are huge questions that probably shouldn’t be placed at the feet of one 26-year-old woman, but representation has become one of the primary indicators of progress in our image-focused world.
Either way, Roan’s lesbian and queer fans clearly feel a sense of ownership and pride over her music. There seems to be a desire to keep her close to us while also cheering for her continued success. Chappell Roan-inspired sapphic dance parties and events have popped up all over my city this summer, and the excitement is palpable. Roan’s moment is a collective one – which is especially significant considering the contemporary turn away from monoculture – but for fans who share her queer identity, it feels akin to finally being seen and heard on a massive scale.
A few weeks ago, I found myself in the position of explaining Chappell Roan lore to a group of friends, many of whom are straight. This is not an uncommon position for me to be in – I am Dr. Lesbian, after all – but the context felt unique. We had all in some way connected with Chappell Roan, though I felt particularly qualified to explain her story and why it’s so resonant to many. It almost felt like I was sharing my culture with them, with Roan acting as the bridge between our different perspectives and experiences.
When Roan wrote “Pink Pony Club,” she probably wasn’t expecting all of this discourse, and I’d like to apologize to her for once again putting her on a pedestal when, as she noted in a recent TikTok, she’s just “a random bitch.” But it feels like we’ve been waiting for someone like Roan forever, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the Femininomenon.
What does Chappell Roan’s success mean to you? How does it feel to see a lesbian pop star achieve such popularity? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
