The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 22, 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2018–2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:08 | |||
Label |
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Producer | ||||
Chappell Roan chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | ||||
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The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut album by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. The album was released on September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records. It was met with widespread acclaim and praised by music critics for its bold and emotionally charged nature. Reviews also complimented the album's engaging blend of sharp songwriting, dynamic pop elements, and Roan's vocal performance. Several publications ranked it on multiple year-end best albums lists for 2023. The album earned Roan her first Grammy Award nominations at the 67th annual ceremony, including for Album of the Year.
Roan promoted the album by headlining The Midwest Princess Tour in 2023 and 2024, along with appearances on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts , The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [6]
Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project. [7] In 2018, Roan started working with producer Dan Nigro, eventually releasing the singles "Pink Pony Club" and "Love Me Anyway" in April and May 2020, respectively. [6] [8] She released "California" that August, and was dropped by Atlantic Records shortly after. [6] "Pink Pony Club" and "California" were both ultimately included on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri where she worked to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro. In 2023, to support Roan's career and projects, Nigro launched the Island Records imprint Amusement, and signed her to the imprint as the first (and as of 2024, only) artist on the label. [9] [10] The album is inspired by Roan's experience leaving her hometown in Missouri for Los Angeles to pursue a career as a singer. During her journey of self-discovery, Roan navigated love, heartbreak, and embraced her sexual identity – themes that would become central to the record. [11] Roan has stated that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept [her] queerness". [12]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10 [13] |
Metacritic | 85/100 [14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
And It Don't Stop | A [16] |
DIY | [17] |
Dork | [18] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [19] |
The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [20] |
NME | [21] |
Paste | 8.4/10 [22] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [23] |
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess received critical acclaim upon release. [24] [25] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. Olivia Horn of Pitchfork called the album "a bold and uproarious introduction, buoyed by sturdy songcraft and steely indifference to good taste", also writing that Roan is "blessed with a powerful and versatile voice". [23] Otis Robinson of DIY summarized it as "thoughtful, a little unhinged and entirely contradictory, merging the alt-pop seriousness of Lana Del Rey with the untethered preppy charm of Lorde to go full throttle into messy, emotional fun". [17]
NME 's Hannah Mylrea dubbed it a "bratty, wacky record of huge pop bangers" as well as an "album that combines Roan's electrifying pop stylings with her funny, irresistible songwriting". [21] Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit opined that Roan "is a blazing tour-de-force on her debut album. She tackles every corner of human sexuality, psychology, desire, and lust, all on some of the hookiest choruses of this year". [20] Robert Moran of The Sydney Morning Herald described it as "pop at its most fun and life-affirming". [26] LA Times called it "one of the year’s most exuberant dance-pop albums. [27] It was also described by Attitude the album as electro, [28] and Clash described the tracks as alt-pop. [29]
Publication/critic | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Alternative Press | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | - | [30] |
Billboard | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 13 | [31] |
Coup De Main | Best Albums of 2023 | 3 | [32] |
Dork | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 11 | [33] |
Nylon | 10 Best Albums of 2023 | 8 | [34] |
Pitchfork | 22 Best Pop Albums of 2023 | - | [35] |
PopBuzz | Best Pop Albums of 2023 | 1 | [36] |
Rolling Stone | 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 12 | [37] |
The A. V. Club | 27 Best Albums of 2023 | 2 | [38] |
The Alternative | Top 55 Albums of 2023 | 5 | [39] |
The Skinny | The Skinny's Albums of 2023 | 19 | [40] |
TIME | 10 Best Albums of 2023 | 4 | [41] |
Uproxx | 74 Best Albums of 2023 | - | [42] |
Vogue | 27 Best Albums of 2023 | - | [43] |
Publication/critic | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Time Out | The Best Albums of 2024 | 2 | [44] |
Although not an immediate commercial success, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess garnered a cult following in the months after its release and became regarded as a "sleeper hit" by early 2024. The album's commercial breakthrough was largely influenced by Roan's supporting act on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour, her performances at music festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and the success of her follow-up single, "Good Luck, Babe!". By June 2024, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess had climbed the charts, peaking at number one in Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, plus within the top five of the US Billboard 200. Subsequently, several of its singles ("My Kink Is Karma", "Femininomenon", "Casual", "Pink Pony Club", "Red Wine Supernova", and "Hot to Go!") entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since their release. [45]
Organization | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
ARIA Music Awards | 2024 | Best International Artist | Nominated | [46] |
Danish Music Awards | 2024 | International Album of the Year | Nominated | [47] |
Grammy Awards | 2025 | Album of the Year | Pending | [48] |
Best Pop Vocal Album | Pending | |||
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Femininomenon" | 3:39 | ||
2. | "Red Wine Supernova" |
| 3:12 | |
3. | "After Midnight" |
| Nigro | 3:24 |
4. | "Coffee" |
| Nigro | 3:25 |
5. | "Casual" |
|
| 3:52 |
6. | "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" |
|
| 3:03 |
7. | "Hot to Go!" |
| Nigro | 3:04 |
8. | "My Kink Is Karma" |
| Nigro | 3:42 |
9. | "Picture You" |
| Nigro | 3:07 |
10. | "Kaleidoscope" | Amstutz | Nigro | 3:42 |
11. | "Pink Pony Club" |
| Nigro | 4:18 |
12. | "Naked in Manhattan" |
| Nigro | 3:31 |
13. | "California" |
| Nigro | 3:18 |
14. | "Guilty Pleasure" |
| Nigro | 3:44 |
Total length: | 49:08 |
Note
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [89] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [90] | Platinum | 15,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [91] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [92] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | September 22, 2023 |
| [93] [94] [95] | |
September 20, 2024 | Cassette | [96] |
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Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, known professionally as Chappell Roan, is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her camp and drag queen-influenced aesthetic. She first signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut EP, School Nights (2017). After being dropped from the label, she released a series of independent singles including "Pink Pony Club" which facilitated Roan's rise to prominence. She opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts World Tour.
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“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” is a single by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released by Amusement and Island Records on September 22, 2023, as the eighth and final single from Roan’s debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. A 1980s-inspired pop, Hi-NRG, dance, electro, electropop, electroclash, and house tune, it narrates Roan’s dislike for dating men and want for a “super graphic ultra modern girl” like her.
"Hot to Go!" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). It was released through Island Records and Amusement Records on August 11, 2023, as the album's seventh single. She co-wrote the track with its producer Dan Nigro. "Hot to Go!" is a synth-pop, electropop, indie pop, and dance-pop track that takes influence from new wave in its instrumentation and vocal inflections. Described as a queer cheer song similar to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A.", it was inspired by Roan's childhood dream of wanting to become a cheerleader.
"After Midnight" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). Island Records and Amusement Records released it as the album's third track on September 22, 2023. Roan wrote "After Midnight" with Casey Smith and the song's producer, Dan Nigro. It is a pop, disco, neo-disco, dance, and funk track, and the lyrics are about nightlife and Roan's experience with bisexuality.
"Good Luck, Babe!" is a song recorded by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released as a standalone single on April 5, 2024, through Amusement Records and Island Records. She wrote the song with Justin Tranter and the song's producer Dan Nigro. A synth-pop, baroque pop, soft rock, new wave, and dance power ballad, "Good Luck, Babe!" references a compulsory heterosexual relationship, describing a queer woman trying to deny her romantic feelings for Roan and for women in general. It received acclaim from music critics, who included it on several mid-year and year-end rankings of the best songs of 2024.
The Midwest Princess Tour was a concert tour by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, launched in support of her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Comprising eighty-nine shows, it started on September 20, 2023, at Gillioz Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, and concluded on October 13, 2024, at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas.
"Casual" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released as a single on October 28, 2022 independently. It was later released as part of Roan's debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, through Amusement Records and Island Records as the fourth single from the album. She wrote the song along with Dan Nigro and Morgan St. Jean and Nigro is credited as producer along with Ryan Linvill. It is a country-influenced downtempo, dream pop, pop rock, and rock ballad about casual dating, in particular a situationship between Roan and a love interest who is unwilling to commit.
"Naked in Manhattan" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. It was released independently on February 18, 2022. It would later become the lead single from Roan's debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, through Amusement Records and Island Records. “Naked in Manhattan” was also released as a B-side to Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” on December 16, 2024. She wrote the song with Dan Nigro and Skyler Stonestreet, with Dan Nigro on production. It is a dance, dance-pop, disco-pop, and synth-pop song about having a crush on a girl for the first time, drawing comparisons with the feeling of New York City.
"The Giver" is a song by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, her first in the country music genre. It was first performed live during her debut appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live (SNL) on November 2, 2024. Written by Roan and produced by Dan Nigro, the song features traditional country instrumentation, including a fiddle, and explores themes of queer storytelling through subversion of conventional country lyrical norms.
she released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess with Amusement Records ... to widespread acclaim
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess–earning her praise, critical acclaim