Chappell Roan has been outspoken about the negative side of fame after her rapid rise to pop stardom, and in a new interview, she likened that relationship to one of “an abusive ex-husband.”
“I feel like fame is just abusive. The vibe of this — stalking, talking s— online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public — is the vibe of an abusive ex-husband,” the “Pink Pony Club” singer told The Face.
“That’s what it feels like,” she added. “I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
Roan recounted an incident at an airport early in the morning when she claims a man followed her around an airport yelling at her to “really humble yourself” and “don’t forget where you come from” after she refused to sign things for him.
“I’m just like, ‘What the f— is going on?'” she recalled. “I told myself, if this ever gets dangerous, I might quit. It’s dangerous now, and I’m still going. But that part is not what I signed up for.”
Roan said she turned to fellow pop star Lorde for advice in that moment, who sent her back a list of “things I should do [in that situation]” and “things she wished someone would have told her when she was going through it.”
This, she said, echoed how other female titans of music — like Lady Gaga, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter — have been “immediately, immediately supportive” at a time when she said she feels “very scared and confused.”
“No one understands that it truly falls all on you. No one understands except other artists,” she explained. “Sabrina even texted me: ‘Hey, I feel crazy. I know you feel crazy.’ So it’s, like, girlies leaning on each other.”
Roan also said the feeling of seeing messages from fans saying her music has helped them can’t be matched by awards or money.
“I don’t care about anything else, except giving space to people to be free,” she said. “Because that’s what I needed so bad: freedom.”
Roan made headlines several weeks ago by posting messages on her socials calling out “abuse and harassment” and “predatory behavior” from some fans, which sparked debate and had artists like Jewel speaking out on their own relationships with fame.
Doing this, it seems, is part of Roan’s aim to create a “sustainable” career.
“That’s my biggest goal right now,” she said. “My brain is like: quit right now, take next year off.”
“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.”
