Photo Credit: Chappell Roan by Jason Martin / CC by 2.0
Chappell Roan recently won her first Grammy, but she’s not so sure she wants to go through it all again in an industry that thrives on ‘burnout.’
Chappell Roan may be on the fast track to reaching new heights in her career, but she’s not so sure that’s a good thing. After recently winning her first Grammy for Best New Artist this year, the 26-year-old admitted during an interview with The Face that she’s dreading having to go through the experience again next year.
“I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my a—,” she said. “Like, ‘See guys, we did it and we didn’t win, bye! I won’t have to do this again!’” The star admitted feeling overwhelmed by the stress that comes with such a meteoric rise to fame, especially combining the demands of the industry with the expectations of fans, and the invasion of her privacy.
“This industry and artistry f—ing thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, not sleeping,” Roan continued. “The ambition is, how do I not hate myself, my job, my life, and do this? Because right now, it’s not working. I’m just scrambling to try to feel healthy.”
While emphasizing that she wants to make her music career “sustainable,” Roan further admitted that she’s entertained the thought of quitting music altogether — or maybe just taking a break. “My brain is like, quit right now, take next year off,” she confessed.
But fellow pop divas have been quick to offer Roan their support, even if the star didn’t quite understand why at first. Figures like Lady Gaga and Charli XCX reached out to her early on in her breakout career, just to make sure she was okay.
“I was like, ‘Mm, this isn’t that big. Everyone is so dramatic!’” But now she recognizes the outreach for what it was: a lifeline. “They were immediately, immediately supportive. Immediately. It’s been so amazing, because I’m very scared and confused.”