‘Then everyone will get off my a**‘: Chappell Roan is ‘kind of hoping’ she doesn’t win the biggest award in music

Chappell Roan skyrocketed to superstardom this year, and she’s had everyone speculating that she’d win a Grammy Award next year. She recently won a Moonman from the VMAs in the Best New Artist category.

Although her fans are rooting for that to happen, Chappell Roan is ambivalent. In an interview with The Face, she said, “I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my ass. ‘See guys, we didn’t win, bye,’ and I won’t have to do this again.”

You can tell that Roan’s VMA win meant a lot to her, and she reportedly canceled concerts in Europe to be able to attend the event. No one really thinks she doesn’t want to win a Grammy. But she has also repeatedly expressed her disappointment about her newfound fame, describing disturbing experiences of being harassed and stalked by “fans.”

Social media blew up in response, debating whether or not Roan even had the right to express her discomfort, as if Roan was “overreacting” to having her and her family’s privacy breached just because she’s a public figure.

Rejecting objectification

“I feel ambitious about making this sustainable. That’s my biggest goal next year,” Roan told The Face. She still wants to be part of the music industry, but without having to compromise herself. Roan also said that the music industry “thrives on mental illness.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2017, Billie Eilish shared the same sentiment when asked what she feels about the music industry. “We’re all sad as hell. All these artists, we’re all sad as shit, dude,” she said.

These artists’ statements shouldn’t be controversial, but celebrities and musicians have been forced to be palatable to fans—oftentimes to their own detriment. Hearing Roan draw lines and attempt to take control of her fame is refreshing because she isn’t tolerating the abusive expectations that come with fame.

It’s admirable that Roan isn’t tolerating or engaging with obsessive parasocial behavior. She told fans that they don’t truly know who she is, which is the same sentiment that Doja Cat got backlash for in 2023. Roan has an advantage as a newer artist to draw boundaries early on, but it shouldn’t be unusual or controversial for celebrities to put their foot down.