Who is Chappell Roan, the Grammy nominated singer with a phenomenal voice and style

If any artist embodied a supernova in 2024, it was Chappell Roan.

At once flamboyant and introverted, the pop singer from Willard, Missouri (population 6,300) burst into the mainstream with her debut studio album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Her introduction to most is an audacious amalgamation of delectable melodies, a crystalline voice and an unapologetic megaphone for her queerness.

It’s no surprise that Roan, 26, scored six Grammy nominations, including the prestigious album of the year as well as song and record of the year (“Good Luck, Babe”) to complement her best new artist nod.

“Music allows me to express anything, even things that I've never experienced before. It allows me to express queerness, even if it was only daydreams at that point. It allows me to express parts of me that I'm not even ready to accept yet,” Roan said in a recent interview with Grammy.com.

Many point to Roan’s fiery performances at Coachella in April 2024 as the inflection point of her charging from cult favorite to Rolling Stone-worthy cover girl. Earlier in the year, she opened the first leg of Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out Guts World Tour before a summer spent enrapturing overflow festival crowds at Bonnaroo, Governors Ball and Chicago’s Lollapalooza, where more than 80,000 flocked to her set.

See how Roan fares at the Grammys when they air Feb. 2 on CBS/Paramount+.

How did Chappell Roan get her name?

Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Roan created her stage name in honor of her grandfather, Dennis Chappell, who died of brain cancer in 2016. Chappell’s favorite song was Marty Robbins' classic cowboy toe-tapper “The Strawberry Roan,” and as she told Oxford student newspaper Cherwell in 2022, her name change was born from a promise.

“Before he passed away, I told him that I was going to be Chappell for him. Roan came from … an old Western song about a pinkish red horse,” Roan said. “It’s a very sentimental name. I do still wish my name was not Kayleigh in real life, though.”

How long has Chappell Roan been in music?

Roan has been an under-the-radar mainstay in the industry since 2014 when she hit YouTube with the original song “Die Young.” That leap followed several years of piano playing, performing in school talent shows and auditioning (unsuccessfully) for “America’s Got Talent.”

Atlantic Records sniffed her out and signed her, releasing a debut EP, “School Nights,” in 2017. But it was her 2020 single “Pink Pony Club,” inspired by her experience at West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey, that nudged Roan into the spotlight (USA TODAY was an early supporter), but off the roster at Atlantic.

For a couple of years, Roan worked a string of jobs including nanny and production assistant while developing her music career as an independent artist. In 2023 she was signed to Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records created by her producer and collaborator Dan Nigro.

That fall, Roan released her studio debut, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

What songs does Chappell Roan sing?

A colorful persona often costumed with a pink cowboy hat, white face makeup, bouffant wigs or perhaps a Statue of Liberty homage, Roan crafts songs that shudder and soar.

“Good Luck, Babe!,” her synths-covering-the-seethe anthem nominated for three Grammys is a blistering blend of frank defiance and heartbreaking resignation, while strings and piano rev up “Femininomenon” and the cheerful chants of “Hot To Go!” celebrate ‘80s camp.

Why did Chappell Roan take a break from the spotlight?

The intense launch into inescapable celebrity wore on Roan’s psyche and she was candid with fans about her struggles.

After canceling a couple of festival performances last year saying she was “unable to perform,” Roan, who has been diagnosed with bipolar II, shared on social media, “Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it. I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health.”

Roan also told Rolling Stone that she is putting up caution signs around her fan interactions. She won’t respond to calls of “Kayleigh!” and declines most photo requests.

In an August TikTok post, an exasperated Roan expounded on her increasingly uncomfortable fan encounters.

“It’s weird how people think you know a person just because you see them online,” she said. “I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior, OK?”

Chappell Roan at the 2025 Grammys

Roan secured her first Grammy nominations at the 2025 award show.

She’s among the most-nominated artists, with six nods, and is the one of only two to earn nods in the “Big Four” of album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. Sabrina Carpenter is also up for the four major categories.

Along with her Big Four nominations, Roan is up for best pop solo performance (“Good Luck, Babe!”) and best pop vocal album (“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”).

She'll face stiff competition in the best new artist category from Sabrina Carpenter, RAYE, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, Khruangbin, Doechii and Teddy Swims.

The 2025 Grammy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2 in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chappell Roan at the Grammys: Get to know the captivating singer