A joyous, funny and synth-laden debut, the album was described by Pitchfork as “a bold and uproarious pop project stitched with stories about discovering love, sex, and oneself in a new place”.
Why is she so popular now?
Though the album was met with great reviews and Roan was heralded as “pop’s next big thing”, she’s only just now hitting the mainstream.
This has been helped along by her association with Olivia Rodrigo, joining as her support act for the worldwide tour of Guts, which kicked off in February, and her new single, Good Luck, Babe!, which is her biggest success yet. Released in April, the song is sitting at No.21 on the Billboard charts.
But it’s her live performances that have got everyone talking. Roan is capturing attention for her commanding vocals, wild style (part drag, part Halloween costume) and bold statements.
It was on stage at Coachella in April, eyes down the barrel of the camera lens, that Roan announced herself as “your favourite artist’s favourite artist” – a hat tip to a quote from drag queen Sasha Colby.
And at New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival earlier this month, Roan – dressed as the Statue of Liberty, “the biggest queen of all” – made a statement on trans rights and Palestine.
“In case you had forgotten what’s etched on my pretty little toes: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. That means freedom in trans rights. That means freedom in women’s rights … And it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories.”
She also told the crowd that the White House had asked her to perform for Pride, but she had declined the invitation: “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
When she was playing at a Tennessee music festival the following weekend, organisers reportedly had to move her set to a bigger stage due to the expected crowds.
Why this is resonating
This direct political stance connects with younger fans feeling frustrated about major pop stars’ perceived silence on issues such as conservative attacks on the trans community and Israel’s invasion of Gaza (Taylor Swift, for instance, is regularly being urged by fans to speak out). Roan’s style and swagger are no doubt also exciting for a generation who came of age through COVID and are just discovering the magic of a fully fledged pop star working the stage – a queer, Gen Z Lady Gaga or Madonna.
But the appeal is more than just surface level, and you don’t need to be under the age of 25 to get the hype. Roan’s playful and heartfelt music speaks for itself, and she’s recently called Good Luck, Babe! “the first song of the next chapter”. It’s not a bad time to jump on board.
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