It’s not often that I come across an album that fully captures my attention, especially from an artist that I’ve never heard of before. Singer-songwriter Chappell Roan released the album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” in September of 2023. When I first heard a piece from the album it was the song “Casual,” that was trending on TikTok. I thought it had a great sound, so I took it upon myself to listen to more tracks, making me discover a new found favorite.
The artist herself initially sparked interest in me because of her bold look. It’s really important to have something unique that sets you apart from other people in the industry. She is almost like a mix of Madonna and Cindy Lauper. A true Fancy Nancy appearance with her extravagant 18th-century inspired makeup, and big red hair. The album cover pictures her with a sash and crown like she’s won a pageant, behind, a back-lit mirror framing her. There is an essence of sparkle and bright colors bringing it to life. It did a really good job of representing what songs you’re about to dive into, while also representing her personality.
When you listen to this album you will be transported to a sparkling pop world. Even if pop isn’t your favorite genre of music, everyone could still appreciate the craft of this album because it’s good at what its objective is and the theme is clear. There is a good mix of songs that are upbeat while a couple are slow. The overall description I would give it would be synth, pop, retro girl riding on a pair of rainbow roller skates. The lyricism involves a lot of magical elements while also pulling concepts from other decades like go go boots, disco balls, and Regina George.
Out of the 14 tracks, songs that specifically stood out to me were “Red Wine Supernova,” “Pink Pony Club,” “Naked in Manhattan,” “California,” and “Casual.” I will make a disclaimer: there are extremely mature themes that are involved with the songs’ lyrics, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of 14. If you like the artist Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo, you might want to check out this album. Roan has actually been one of the openers for Rodrigo’s “Guts” tour, and also performed at this recent Coachella weekend. I would hope that her success continues to grow and she releases another album soon.
