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“Women don’t owe you anything!“
That’s the new mantra of Chappell Roan, 26. Who? Chappell Roan, Kayleigh Rose Amstutz by her real name, American queen of the charts this musical season, a phenomenon on TikTok, although her first album dates from last year. An artist in her own right, queer, whimsical, multiple, whose heady sounds borrow as much from Kate Bush as from Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift.
If you haven’t already, catch up on her wonderful opus “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”, which constantly oscillates between euphoria and melancholy, a mix as fluid as the looks of this exuberant and intimate singer at the same time – in a video, she teaches a drag queen choreography to her grandparents! … And above all, listen to her. Outside of concert halls, she has a lot to say.
And in particular, on her relationship with fans that is not always easy. Her outburst against the inappropriate behavior of certain anonymous people is also extremely salutary. By behavior, we must understand: non-consensual gestures, physical abuse, and pure and simple harassment. She testifies on her social networks in a video viewed more than 13 million times: “I have never felt so in danger…“.
A new musical icon who stands out as much for her music as for her feminist positions
Female singers, not “safe”? Why?
Chappell Roan elaborates, addressing the audience: “I observe predatory behavior disguised as “superfan” actions.“… I don’t care if you think I’m selfish because I refuse a photo or a hug. None of this is normal, all of this is weird. I don’t accept it. Because if you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from her car window? Would you harass her in public? You sometimes behave insanely!… Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird with my family and friends. Please stop assuming things about me“
Roan lists concretely: inappropriate gestures, forced hugs, behaviors bordering on harassment, feeling of too strong proximity… What many singers all over the world experience, the artist refuses, and demands that concrete limits be set.
This is a very healthy speech indeed. Because all of this relates to the issues of the #MeToo revolution on consent. Consent is at the heart of his entire speech, and Chappell Roan rightly believes that artists, despite their very strong relationship with the public, must never neglect this. And it works both ways!
And the singer, report our colleagues from Purecharts, to conclude: “You have to set boundaries. I have had so many non-consensual physical and social interactions that I need to remind you, women don’t owe you anything. I chose this path because I love music and art and honor my inner child. I do not accept any form of harassment because I chose this path.”
It is rare to hear such clear and direct words on this subject. But we can also guess, given the intensity of these words, how urgent the artist felt to share it with his millions of fans. Rightly so.
