"I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LA," a saccharineExcessively sweet or sentimental. voice croons. "And I heard that there's a special place where boys and girls can all be queens every single day."

The song, called Pink Pony Club, is the 11th song on Chappell Roan's album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Penned in 2020, it became a sleeper hitA piece of entertainment that was not successful when it was released, but later became a surprise success., hurtling itself on to the charts when Roan's popularity exploded across the globe earlier this year.

In 2020, Roan was working as a barista and a nanny, struggling to make ends meet. She was dropped by her label and dumped by her partner, finding herself adrift and bereft of any hope that she could make her dreams of fame and celebrity come true.

She could never have imagined what the coming years would bring for her. After nine years of thankless hard work, she has became pop's latest sensation. Her album peaked at number one in the charts in the UK. She performed at Coachella and was invited to perform at the White House.¹ She won the VMA award for Best New Artist.

For some, she is a miracle. She grew up in a conservativeHolding traditional values, and in a political context, favouring policies such as private ownership. family in a trailer park in Willard, Missouri, population 6,000. She attended church three times a week and was taught that being gay was a sin.

It was during a visit to West Hollywood, which she had been told was a demonicRelating to demons or evil spirits, or fiercely energetic., SatanistA person who worships Satan (the devil). city, that she realised that she wanted to pursue her music career properly. It was also the first time she encountered the queer community and began questioning her own identity, later coming out as a lesbian.

Shortly after, she dropped her witchy, melancholy image and coined a new maximalist aesthetic. Instead of long, dark hair, she now sports bouncy red-orange curls. She has been described as a "thrift store pop star" for her eclectic, creative outfits. Her aesthetic is drag-inspired, a "pin-up girl burlesque".²

What is behind Roan's huge popularity - and why is now her moment? Some think it is her loud and proud queerness and advocacy for gay rights. She stormed to popularity just as drag shows began to be criminalised by reactionary lawmakers who saw drag as a threat to children. Roan uses drag to symbolise her freedom and liberation from others' expectations.

Others say it is her rags-to-riches story. Her long fight for success gave her time to develop her musical and aesthetic identities. Still more say that it is pure, unadulterated talent. She is a vocal powerhouse with a great ear for an infectious melody and a natural, witty lyricism. 

But others have another explanation. Roan is vulnerable in a culture where authenticity, or "realness", is the ultimate online currency. She burst into tears at a recent concert, discusses her Bipolar 2 disorder diagnosis and body image issues openly with her fans on TikTok, and recently went viral for yelling expletives at an ill-mannered photographer.

Her openness may also be her curse. Roan has attracted censureCondemning or showing disapproval for something. for her unapologetic and vocal loathing of fame, which she compares to an "abusive ex-husband". She recently said she hopes she does not win a Grammy, adding that her newfound success has led to harassment and abuse from so-called fans.

The queer scholar Judith Butler said that vulnerability follows from being "attached to others, at risk of losing those attachments, exposed to others, at risk of violence by virtue of that exposure". Vulnerability may be the secret to Roan's success - but could it also be her fatal flaw?

Is vulnerability the secret of her success?

Yes: Roan is a breath of fresh air in a highly synthetic industry, where artists' public images are rigidly controlled by commercial managers and labels. Her willingness to talk about her struggles and own her vulnerability appeals to fans.

No: Success never comes from an artist's public image, because in reality hardly anybody outside of online fandoms follow artists' personal lives. She is successful because she is an exceptional singer and songwriter, and that is all.

Or... Vulnerability only works for a short amount of time. People dislike it when rich and famous people complain about their lives too much, and Roan's tendency to do so will ruin her reputation.