Over the past month, Chappell Roan has been vocal about setting boundaries for being approached in public and “predatory behavior” toward famous women. Now, the artist has said her meteoric rise to fame has forced her to deal with people who give off “the vibe of an abusive ex-husband.”
In a new interview with The Face, Roan described a scary airport incident during which an autograph seeker followed her to the TSA line and berated her for refusing to sign posters. “I feel like fame is just abusive,” she said. “The vibe of this — stalking, talking shit online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public — is the vibe of an abusive ex-husband. That’s what it feels like. I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
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Thankfully, Roan was able to lean on her pal Lorde for advice and received a helpful list of “eight things she wished someone would have told her when she was going through it.” As Roan previously mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview, Lorde is among a group of female pop stars who have reached out that also includes Lady Gaga and Charli XCX.
“They were immediately, immediately supportive,” Roan told The Face. “It’s been so amazing, because I’m very scared and confused.” She has also bonded with fellow 2024 breakout Sabrina Carpenter, commiserating over their “crazy” rises to fame.
However, Roan is committed to maintaining a “sustainable” career while not sacrificing her health in an industry that thrives on mental illness, burnout, overexertion, and lack of sleep. “My brain is like: quit right now, take next year off,” she said. “You get bigger the more unhealthy you are. Isn’t that so fucked up?”
“The ambition is: how do I not hate myself, my job, my life, and do this?” she continued. “Because right now, it’s not working. I’m just scrambling to try to feel healthy.”
During the MTV VMAs last week, Roan continued to stand up for herself by telling off a pushy red carpet photographer. Later in the evening, she picked up a win for Best New Artist and performed “Good Luck, Babe!”
Roan is set to release a special first anniversary edition vinyl of her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, this Friday, September 20th. Pre-order your copy here.