The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, released on September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records owned by the album's producer, Dan Nigro. Roan wrote the album alongside Nigro beginning in 2020. The album received positive reviews from critics, who acclaimed its pop sound.
Background and recording
Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project that she later admitted she "hated". In 2020, Roan started working with Dan Nigro, releasing the album's first single, "Pink Pony Club", in April of that year. Atlantic Records had said "no" to the song "for a year", before she was dropped by them later in 2020. In addition to breaking up with her boyfriend of over four years and the COVID-19 pandemic, Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri. She worked jobs to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro, and signed to his Island Records imprint Amusement. Roan said that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept queerness".The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, released on September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records owned by the album's producer, Dan Nigro. Roan wrote the album alongside Nigro beginning in 2020. The album received positive reviews from critics, who acclaimed its pop sound.
Background and recording
Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project that she later admitted she "hated". In 2020, Roan started working with Dan Nigro, releasing the album's first single, "Pink Pony Club", in April of that year. Atlantic Records had said "no" to the song "for a year", before she was dropped by them later in 2020. In addition to breaking up with her boyfriend of over four years and the COVID-19 pandemic, Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri. She worked jobs to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro, and signed to his Island Records imprint Amusement. Roan said that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept queerness".false2025-11-07 16:35:12The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess20232023-09-222023-09-2215Synth-Pop17957924307374fe0386d-9c89-4e1f-a718-947060001be256a55378-f155-48de-80a5-d80104221267eda0f5d3-44eb-42cf-bcfd-5c9f93e05c7a/media/data/media1/Music/Chappell Roan/The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023)/12 Vinyl 02/folder.jpgChappell RoanChappell RoanKayleigh Rose Amstutz (born February 19, 1998), known professionally as Chappell Roan ( CHAP-əl ROHN), is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her camp and drag queen–influenced aesthetic. Her debut EP, School Nights (2017), was released by Atlantic Records. After its commercial failure, she was dropped from the label. Her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023), was released through Island Records and received critical acclaim. The album garnered a cult following and became a sleeper hit.
Roan rose to prominence in 2024 with the single "Good Luck, Babe!", which reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a global top-five single. It was a catalyst for the success of her debut album, which eventually topped the charts in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand and reached number two on the US Billboard 200. Several album tracks subsequently entered various charts, including "Hot to Go!" and "Pink Pony Club", which both reached the top five in the UK. At the 67th Grammy Awards, Roan was nominated for all the "Big Four" awards, winning Best New Artist.