Chappell Roan Album Review: Track-By-Track Analysis of Identity and Small-Town Stories

Chappell Roan burst onto the scene in 2024 after a rollicking performance at Coachella and the release of her hit single "Good Luck, Babe!" With a drag persona and authentic queer storylines in each of her hit singles, she quickly became an icon in pop music. Let us take you on a journey through Chappell Roan's album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which explores small-town life, queer identity, and Roan's own personal transformation.

Known off the stage as Kayleigh Amstutz, but referred to in all professional dealings by her drag name, Roan got an early start in music. Kayleigh is from a small, conservative town in Missouri and signed to Atlantic Records at just 17 years old. However, her career failed to launch, and she was dropped from the label in 2020.

After turning 21, Kayleigh visited the now-famous West Hollywood gay bar, The Abbey, where she had what she described as a spiritual experience while dancing. This was transformational for her, leading to the rebirth of her artistic and musical expression. She entered the "Pink Pony Club" as Kayleigh and left as Chappell Roan.

Roan's debut album was produced by Dan Nigro, who has worked with stars such as Olivia Rodrigo. Inspired by David Bowie's on-stage persona and his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Roan's debut is a masterclass in self-expression, powerhouse vocals, and emotional lyrics.

The opening track to the album, "Femininomenon," blends dance-pop and electronic beats with complex content. The title is a portmanteau, used to describe Roan's experience of being with a woman instead of with men. In Cherwell, Roan said, "With a woman, it's easy and different and wonderful. It's a phenomenon."

The rambunctious song shows off Roan's songwriting chops, opening the album with a bang and providing an initial insight into the themes of queer identity that are explored throughout the album. "Femininomenon" peaked at No. 66 on the charts, where it sat for nine weeks.

In "Red Wine Supernova," Roan explores what it feels like to have feelings for another girl. In Flood Magazine, she described it as "a campy gay girl song" and talked about how she packed the lyrics full of innuendos, allusions, and flirtatious quips. The track is blatantly and unapologetically about Roan's attraction to women, and it was named as Business Insider's Best Song of 2023.

Roan wrote "Pink Pony Club" after her famous visit to The Abbey. Described by Out Magazine as a "gay anthem," the track uses the club as a metaphor for finding acceptance within the community — something she didn't find in Missouri. The song peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Pink Pony Club" was even successful among other pop artists, with Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson, Alex Warren, and Orville Peck all performing covers of the song.

Roan's album includes many introspective tracks that deal more deeply with the complexities of LGBTQ+ relationships. Here are a few examples:

Roan's debut album has become a staple in queer discography.

The legacy of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is due in part to its commercial and critical success. It was No. 13 on Billboard's 2023 Best Albums of the Year list, and received four GRAMMY Award nominations. In 2025, Roan took home the GRAMMY for Best New Artist, and she has over 14 million monthly listeners.

At her NPR Tiny Desk appearance, which has more than 14 million views on YouTube, Roan performed in drag with lipstick on her teeth and butterflies and cigarette butts tucked into her beehive hairdo. As Them.us described, Roan's persona is "an exercise in femme camp, and her Tiny Desk performance is the perfect encapsulation of that..." However, in an interview with Asia Moore, Roan admitted that the rapid rise to fame hasn't been easy: "I miss just walking around being by myself. I guess being by myself is what I miss.”

Part of the album's success is due to its themes of identity, freedom, and queer joy that resonate with so many people. Roan captures the feeling of growing up in a small town before moving to a big city where she was able to explore her identity and find the freedom to be herself. Through a detailed exploration of relationships, self-empowerment, and finding belonging, each track provides intimate insight into the LGBTQ+ experience and reveals the complexity of queer identity.

The album is also such an important work because Roan's unabashedly queer songwriting and celebration of drag culture brings a new level of LGBTQ+ representation to the forefront of pop music. Her songs encapsulate Generation Z's approach to identity and desire for authentic self-expression, while they also provide a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ youth who feel isolated, sending a message that the queer community is ready and willing to accept them.

Roan is already an icon in the LGBTQ+ community, but her fans are eagerly awaiting what she will do next. If you haven't already, give The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess a listen from top to bottom to see what all the hype is about. Not only does Roan astonish with her vocal range, but the album's deep messages will resonate long after the final note plays.