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Written by: Rian Mallorca and Pearl Lu
Art by: Rian Mallorca
In a distinctly saturated landscape of rising pop music, wherein artists are subject to the ever changing nature of listener’s music taste and the challenge of marketability, Chappell Roan has managed to embody both authenticity and marketability, subsequently carving out her distinctive niche. The entire “Chappell Roan” persona is not solely an attempt at a marketing strategy, but a vital piece of her personal identity and artistry. Let’s dive deeper into how Chappell Roan masterfully navigated through the landscape of pop stardom while still staying authentically her.
A Genuine Connection with the Audience
Chappell Roan, as a brand, is a dynamic presence that markets itself through a fan-centric approach promoting listener loyalty not just through her catchy pop-styled vocals, yet also through the building of quality interactive and high-value experiences for her fans. More than just raising brand awareness in the pop environment through her songs, she follows through on her popularity through prioritizing lasting impressions with a key example of such being her concerts. Transforming into personalized and memorable events, Chappell’s themed concerts stand out through the unique visual element of fashion and style that not only is an experimental take in her marketing, yet focuses on building her fan base community.
Another key unique value proposition held by Chappell would be how she employs artistry to share her advocacy with her large fanbase. Through her personal queer experiences conveyed through her songs, Chappell’s music is characterized by its inclusivity not only impacting fans and listeners alike, but also prompts partnerships with brands, influencers and other LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups who share the same key message. These are seen as Chappell prioritizes co-created content like behind the scenes looks at themed performances that would spotlight these queer designers as well as giving local drag entertainers the platform to perform as opening numbers for her concerts. This not only serves Chappell as a performer, but also as an influential figure who champions a cause in the broader social and cultural discourse.
The TikTok Era of Music
When looking into exactly what contributed to Chappell Roan’s meteoric rise to fame in the past year, it's nearly impossible to avoid talking about the role that TikTok played in her marketing strategy. The creation of her viral song “Hot to Go!” lies within its premise as a participative dance that fans and concert goers can follow along to, staying consistent with her tendency of involving audiences and promoting interactivity with the Chappell Roan image. The nature of the song essentially being a dance number seemed to be tailor-made for TikTok’s algorithm and format, making use of the app’s “Use sound” feature and encouraging her fanbase to create user-generated promotional videos dancing to the chorus.
Despite not catering as much to dance as “Hot to Go!” Chappell’s hit song, “Good Luck, Babe!” also became a widely used TikTok audio within her fans. The same goes for other songs such as “Casual” with these songs in particular being heavily used among the LGBTQ+ community for her use of well-crafted and vivid lyrics that unapologetically paint her own lived experiences as a lesbian. Chappell lets people know that there is a place for them to come together through big emotions and an irreverent sense of humour. Without having the same experiences that Chappell sings of, the themes of rejection, freedom, acceptance, and self-discovery still remain universal. Through the raw emotional vulnerability expressed in her song lyrics of the most recent album, countless TikTok users were enticed to create their own content using her sounds to convey and tell their own narratives.
Chappell is capable of establishing her brand equity through her unapologetic self-expression and storytelling of experiences and beliefs that distinguishes her from traditionally mainstream artists. Additionally, with Chappell’s case of being an artist that blew up during the “TikTok Era” of music, the social media platform revealed its power in influencing public opinion on up and coming artists, as the app contributed to both her rise and fall. All of this online traction – along with her interactive live performances – shot her up to global fame, and cemented her as a role model and symbol of the queer community.
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