# The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
*The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess* is the debut studio album by the American pop singer [Chappell Roan](https://www.edgepedia.org/chappell-roan), released on September 22, 2023. Written over five years, the album chronicles Roan's move from small-town Missouri to Los Angeles and her realization that she is queer, mixing synth-pop, disco, and rock songs with ballads.[1](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e) • [2](https://omni.se/a/OoM9Pl) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/1698723205)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Chappell Roan, the stage name of Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, a Missouri-born singer-songwriter[4](https://ak1.aka.eonline.com/news/1420774/chappell-roans-update-on-second-album) |
| Release | September 22, 2023, on Amusement/Island Records[1](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e) |
| Initial reception | Praised by critics including Pitchfork, but it did not chart on the Billboard 200 when released[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/07/25/chappell-roan-rise/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) • [6](https://boulderweekly.com/entertainment/music/chappell-roan-profile/) |
| Notable songs | "Pink Pony Club," "Red Wine Supernova," "Casual," "Hot To Go!", "Femininomenon," "California"[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF96UOuIHw0) |
| Later success | After Roan's April 2024 Coachella performance the songs gained a new life, and within a year of release she drew one of the largest Lollapalooza crowds in history[8](https://umusic.co.nz/umusic/one-year-of-chappell-roans-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/) |
| Accolades | Named one of Time's 10 best albums of 2023[9](https://time.com/6340131/best-albums-2023/) |
## Background
Roan was born and raised in Missouri and was discovered on YouTube by [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records), which signed her while she was still a teenager. Her first single, "Good Hurt," appeared in 2017, followed that year by the EP *School Nights*, which passed largely unnoticed. Atlantic dropped her in 2020, and she moved back home to Missouri for a few months, where she considered leaving music altogether.[1](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/1698723205) • [10](https://los40.com/2025/09/22/dos-anos-de-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess-como-chappell-roan-estuvo-a-punto-de-rendirse-antes-de-convertirse-en-icono-pop/)
**A second chance.** Roan returned to Los Angeles, and in 2023 the producer [Dan Nigro](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-nigro) signed her to Amusement, his imprint on [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records). Nigro had co-written and produced "Pink Pony Club" with her years earlier; he later recalled that his assistant took off his headphones in the studio after a few minutes and said, "Wow, this song is crazy." The song was included on the album, but even then it initially passed many listeners by.[1](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e) • [11](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-remember-my-assistant-putting-on-his-headphones-in-the-studio-and-he-took-them-off-after-a-few-minutes-looked-at-me-and-said-wow-this-song-is-crazy-dan-nigro-says-that-he-always-knew-that-chappell-roans-pink-pony-club-was-something-special) Before the album came out, Roan had also sung backing vocals on multiple [Olivia Rodrigo](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-rodrigo) songs.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF96UOuIHw0)
## Songs and themes
The album's fourteen tracks move between exuberant dance-pop and quieter ballads: "Femininomenon," "Red Wine Supernova," "After Midnight," "Coffee," "[Casual](https://www.edgepedia.org/casual-song)," "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl," "Hot To Go!", "My Kink Is Karma," "Picture You," "Kaleidoscope," "Pink Pony Club," "Naked In Manhattan," "California," and "Guilty Pleasure."[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF96UOuIHw0) Apple Music describes the record as collecting "tales of debauchery and despair" while chronicling Roan's realization of being queer and coming into her own; it opens with her singing mournfully about an ex-boyfriend over piano and choirs before an insistent beat overtakes the song.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/1698723205)
**The title's meaning.** Roan explained that the "fall" of the title refers to a girl who went to West Hollywood to become a dancer, singer, and drag queen, and found that when all her dreams came true "it just doesn't feel right."[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/q-chappell-roan-queerness-growing-233929616.html) In a podcast discussion of the album, the song "California" was read as the narrative of how she was feeling at the time, the "fall" part of the album's arc.[13](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/every-single-album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess-every-single-album-chappell-roan) "Pink Pony Club" chronicles her feelings after a night at an L.A. gay bar, knowing she will never be the daughter her mother envisioned, and "Casual" tackles the frustration of an undefined relationship, a "situationship."[6](https://boulderweekly.com/entertainment/music/chappell-roan-profile/) • [1](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e)
Scholarly commentary has read the album's personas, particularly in "Pink Pony Club" and "Red Wine Supernova," as using camp and drag-inspired aesthetics to navigate the liberation of female sexuality and place Roan within a modern sapphic musical culture.[14](https://www.femtheorymusic.org/ftmu/ft-m17-2024annarbor)
## Slow start, delayed breakthrough
The album was not a hit when it came out; ten months after release it was described as one of the hottest albums in the country despite never having charted on the Billboard 200 at release.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/07/25/chappell-roan-rise/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) Its songs spread gradually, including through TikTok, where "Casual" found an audience.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/07/25/chappell-roan-rise/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) After Roan's Coachella performance in April 2024, many of the album's songs gained a new life, and "Hot To Go!" became a live moment as Roan taught the music video's dance to each audience she performed for. Within a single year she went from small clubs to one of the largest [Lollapalooza](https://www.edgepedia.org/lollapalooza) crowds in history.[8](https://umusic.co.nz/umusic/one-year-of-chappell-roans-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/)
## Reception and legacy
Pitchfork praised the album's boldness and tight songcraft while slighting what its reviewer called a "steely indifference to good taste."[6](https://boulderweekly.com/entertainment/music/chappell-roan-profile/) Time placed it among the ten best albums of 2023, calling the music "unbridled pop fun."[9](https://time.com/6340131/best-albums-2023/) In the French newspaper *Le Monde*, the Maneskin singer [Damiano David](https://www.edgepedia.org/damiano-david) called Roan "the very beautiful surprise of recent months," noting that her music "is not designed for streaming platforms."[15](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/09/27/chappell-roan-l-alternative-kink-a-taylor-swift_6335950_3246.html)
Roan has drawn a sharp line between her private identity and the Chappell Roan persona, a theatrical character in the tradition of [Lady Gaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-gaga)'s Sasha Fierce, with drag-queen-inspired looks and audience-participation shows.[16](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v3/6e73b978db24d2acb08124e325db4c5280aa60c1.pdf) • [17](https://www.polyesterzine.com/features/chappell-roan-audience-participation-playing-a-character-and-being-horny) She founded The Midwest Princess Project, which works to uplift trans youth and LGBTQ+ communities.[18](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/68c30adbd28b4c45612bd6ad/t/69bc2a63c2d3b26498fa558d/1773939299993/The%2BMidwest%2BPrincess%2BProject%2B2025%2BImpact%2BReport.pdf) A follow-up album has been in progress with Nigro, who has described it as "a new version of Chappell," though Roan has said it may be a while before she is ready to release another one.[19](https://www.mymagic949.com/news/chappell-roan/UDGDOZXIEVXKLZFGIEWZA5MKTY/) • [4](https://ak1.aka.eonline.com/news/1420774/chappell-roans-update-on-second-album)
## References
1. [A conversation with Chappell Roan, the yodeling, queer pop icon of tomorrow, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/aa86d43c640feb33cb471894bedb7a0e)
2. [Inget andra album i sikte än: "Tar minst fem år", Omni](https://omni.se/a/OoM9Pl)
3. [The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/1698723205)
4. [Chappell Roan's Update on Second Album, E! Online](https://ak1.aka.eonline.com/news/1420774/chappell-roans-update-on-second-album)
5. [How Chappell Roan became a star, according to the people who were there, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/07/25/chappell-roan-rise/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10)
6. [Chappell Roan chronicles 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', Boulder Weekly](https://boulderweekly.com/entertainment/music/chappell-roan-profile/)
7. [Chappell Roan Breaks Down Every Song On 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', Capital Buzz / YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF96UOuIHw0)
8. [One Year of Chappell Roan's 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', UMusic](https://umusic.co.nz/umusic/one-year-of-chappell-roans-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess/)
9. [The 10 Best Albums of 2023, Time](https://time.com/6340131/best-albums-2023/)
10. [Dos años de 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', LOS40](https://los40.com/2025/09/22/dos-anos-de-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess-como-chappell-roan-estuvo-a-punto-de-rendirse-antes-de-convertirse-en-icono-pop/)
11. [Dan Nigro on 'Pink Pony Club', MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-remember-my-assistant-putting-on-his-headphones-in-the-studio-and-he-took-them-off-after-a-few-minutes-looked-at-me-and-said-wow-this-song-is-crazy-dan-nigro-says-that-he-always-knew-that-chappell-roans-pink-pony-club-was-something-special)
12. [Q&A: Chappell Roan on queerness, growing up, and what it means to be the "Midwest Princess" of pop, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/q-chappell-roan-queerness-growing-233929616.html)
13. [Every Single Album: 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess' transcript, Podscripts](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/every-single-album/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-midwest-princess-every-single-album-chappell-roan)
14. [Examining Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' and 'Red Wine Supernova', FemTheory Music](https://www.femtheorymusic.org/ftmu/ft-m17-2024annarbor)
15. [Chappell Roan, l'alternative « kink » à Taylor Swift, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/09/27/chappell-roan-l-alternative-kink-a-taylor-swift_6335950_3246.html)
16. [Bop Star Magazine](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v3/6e73b978db24d2acb08124e325db4c5280aa60c1.pdf)
17. [Chappell Roan on Audience Participation, Playing a Character and Being Horny, Polyester](https://www.polyesterzine.com/features/chappell-roan-audience-participation-playing-a-character-and-being-horny)
18. [The Midwest Princess Project 2025 Impact Report](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/68c30adbd28b4c45612bd6ad/t/69bc2a63c2d3b26498fa558d/1773939299993/The%2BMidwest%2BPrincess%2BProject%2B2025%2BImpact%2BReport.pdf)
19. [Chappell Roan producer Dan Nigro gives details on 'Midwest Princess' follow-up, My Magic 94.9](https://www.mymagic949.com/news/chappell-roan/UDGDOZXIEVXKLZFGIEWZA5MKTY/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2020s albums › Albums by American artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license