ALEX KUETER / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

 The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

Chappell Roan is an overnight sensation of 10 years in the making. She released her first song, “Die Young” in 2015, but  it would take two record labels, and eight more years of making  music for her to blow up seemingly overnight in 2023 with the release  of her second album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” The singer-songwriter has accumulated an impressive five million followers on Instagram and 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her rise to fame was fast, going from relatively unheard of to a world-wide phenomenon –  even here at USD where her music has become common background noise in places such as Aromas or Bosley Cafe.  However, this rapid success has consequences. Though the singer has been working in the industry for years, her jump to stardom has left her unprepared for the downsides of fame. 

Some of the star’s recent actions have led to online criticism, starting after Roan shared a screenshot of a statement she wrote in her notes app on Instagram on Aug. 13 detailing her want for privacy and separation from her fans. The main message of the post expressed  the fact that women performers like herself deserve respect and admiration from a distance. 

Roan states how some “superfans” have begun stalking her, contacting her friends and family and making disturbing and disparaging comments about her. 

“I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it,” Roan said. 

The public’s feedback about this post  was   very   positive, with most fans and even other artists supporting it. However, this marked the beginning of her less popular statements. 

After some people reacted negatively to the post, Roan then went on to post a series of TikToks reacting to those less supportive people. She described them as entitled, creepy stalkers, reffering to their strange behavior as a random person asking to take a photo, which she, like many other celebrities, experience often. These posts, unlike the initial notes app post, had a negative response from fans. While Roan likely didn’t mean to lump in all her fans with the bad behaviors of some, the message came off as such and made her seem entitled and ungrateful. Many of her problems with fans could be solved with larger security teams and practical precautions. 

The controversies ramped up later that month when Roan abruptly canceled two shows with less than a 24 hour notice on her European tour to perform at the VMAs. Roan’s cancellation enraged fans, many of  whom  spent hundreds of dollars on tickets and travel to see her. Only some of said fans can be refunded. Roan additionally appeared to go against her message of prioritizing her music in the face of societal pressure. Roan had historically prioritized her fans over popular appearances like the VMAs, which added to the impression that she was becoming fame hungry, despite only recently obtaining fame. 

This was repeated when in September, Roan canceled two shows on little notice citing mental health concerns. 

“I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health,” Roan wrote. “I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. Thank you for understanding.”

This created another series of issues from fans, many of whom again would not be able to be refunded for the costs of the tickets. 

This situation is incredibly complex, and most of the issues people have with the star’s actions have less to do with what she is actually doing, and more to do with how she is doing them. While canceling shows is never ideal, repeatedly canceling on such short notice is a very bad look, especially when canceling to perform at an exclusive event like the VMAs. 

Many people, like myself, would support Roan taking mental health days if it wasn’t such an inconvenience to her fans. I wouldn’t have had a huge problem with the tour cancellations if she hadn’t continuously overburdened herself in the days and weeks prior, through adding opening performances, interviews and other appearances.

Having fans is an important aspect of being successful, and as an artist you can interact with them as much as you choose. Becoming angry or irritated with your fans when they’re treating you like a celebrity and wanting pictures or autographs feels very distasteful. 

Part of being a successful artist is having people who want to see you, and you owe at least neutrality towards them. Roan frequently mentions how she no longer feels safe alone in public, which I think is in the job description. Becoming a celebrity means you need security -and protection, and that walking alone in public is probably not the safest idea. Giving up some aspects of normal life is the price of the career, and she should expect no less. Everything in life has trade offs, and becoming a world-wide star means you probably shouldn’t walk alone in public without some security – that’s just the society we live in. 

However, other stars like Roan to their limits has historically been a bad idea. Singers like Brittany Spears or Miley Cyrus were pushed to perform through any conditions, placed on exhausting and restrictive schedules and had their individual freedoms limited based on what would be best for their brands. As a result, both had very public breakdowns, turned to drugs and have had severe, long term struggles with mental health. 

Maybe if they had been able to take more days off or  had a more supportive PR team, they could’ve been healthier. Outcomes like this are the last thing anyone would want for Chappell Roan. If she is doing really badly, is it better to cancel some shows now rather than not have her in the future? While Roan has security and a PR manager, relying on them more would help her control both how her messages come across and protect her safety with fans. 

The balance between taking care of herself and upholding her duty as a performer is a very difficult one, but one Roan  needs to find balance quickly. She needs to understand that while protecting one’s mental health is important, she does have a responsibility to fans, and should prioritize her health in controllable, small ways before hurting people in larger ways. Additionally, being realistic about the price of her fame some things will forever be different, and she needs to adjust her expectations. I sincerely love Chappell Roan and admire all the good she has done for the LGBTQ+ community, she just needs to find her balance with fame and adjust to her new lifestyle.