Chappell Roan’s $25K Donation Matched by Charli XCX, Noah Kahan

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Chappell Roan's $25K Donation Matched by Charli XCX, Noah Kahan

While onstage accepting her Grammy for Best New Artist, Chappell Roan made an impassioned plea for industry change — and the ripple effects are already making an impact.

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Roan kicked things off by donating $25,000 to struggling musicians, naming Backline as her organization of choice to aid her efforts. Now, Charli XCX and Noah Kahan (who were both present at the 2025 Grammys where Roan’s speech took place), have chimed in with matching donations. “I’m inspired by you,” Kahan wrote. “Happy to get the ball rolling. Money where my mouth is!”

Charli XCX echoed the sentiment. “Your speech at the Grammys was inspiring, thoughtful, and from a genuine place of care,” she shared on Instagram. “Money where my mouth is.”

Bolstered by the high-profile contributions, Backline has now officially launched the “We Got You!” campaign, described as “a fund to support artists’ mental health in an effort to create a safer, more sustainable music industry.” Noah Kahan has his own additional history with the organization as he’s continued to scale up his work with non-profit The Busyhead Project through a partnership with Backline.

Following the Grammys speech, The Hollywood Reporter published a snide op-ed by former music executive Jeff Rabhan accusing the artist of “trendy, performative activism.” Roan responded to his request to “put her money where her mouth is” by doing just that, pledging the initial $25K to emerging artists that has kicked off the wave, while challenging Rabhan to do the same.

Rabhan then posted a lengthy reply on Twitter directed to both Roan and Halsey (who offered vocal support for the recent Grammy winner and criticized The Hollywood Reporter for running Rabhan’s opinion piece).

“Who thought it was a good idea to publicly challenge an educator to a 25k ‘one-upping’ contest?” Rabhan asked. “Really? Do you know what teachers make? Right idea pointed in the wrong direction…If you and Halsey had directed your fanbase to donate $1 to your Living Artist Fund for every hate filled slur sent to me, you would have enough funding in ONE DAY to cover health care for every single artist and writer in need for almost 2 years.”

However, this mindset is exactly the sort of thinking Roan’s speech was hoping to challenge; artists shouldn’t have to crowdfund for resources to live well, and her initial request was that the systems in place offer more help to financially vulnerable young artists.

The conversation has now even earned the perspective of Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, who shared how the band navigated the confusing insurance world early in their career. “When Nirvana signed with a major label, our accountant suggested we join [SAG-AFTRA],” he wrote. We did and I have had great health insurance for 35 years.”

As more artists have supported Roan’s efforts, she was clear about where she felt listeners fit into the picture. “Fans, y’all don’t have to donate a damn penny,” she wrote. “This is one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists. There is much more work to be done.”

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