Why Chappell Roan’s message is speaking to me right now
I had an unusual experience this week.
I was watching the Grammys, and this year’s best new artist, Chappell Roan, came up and performed a segment from “Pink Pony Club” (picture above).Since viewing, I have NOT been able to get the song out of my head. It’s been lodged in my brain on perpetual loop, so much so that I’ve gone back and watched the performance multiple times.
Now, you might be saying - okay Kim, that’s fine - but why on earth would that be that odd?
Well, for starters, I generally don’t enjoy pop music. And the presentation style of this (and many pop performances) - big hair, big makeup, big extrovert energy…if you know me, you know this is not my vibe.
And yet, I kept coming back to this song. Which led me to question - why does Chappell Roan have such a hold on me right now? I did some reflecting, and here’s where I landed.
Vocal Chops
Chappell’s vocals are gorgeous. There’s something about her tone that captivates and draws me in. I’m fascinated by the tiny and infrequent hints of drawl peppered throughout, the way she yodels, yips, and scoops her way off her phrase endings, the way in which she chooses to handle registration, and the fact that she sounds virtually flawless while singing live (yes, she was singing live) and totally dancing her face off.
Belonging
However, what hit my most about this performance was the message. I realized that her unwavering desire to keep dancing at the Pink Pony Club speaks to me because it taps into the feeling of a state of freedom which can only be found through belonging.
To be sure, this is also a song about leaning into the joy of the moment and just having fun - but the lyrics, vocals, and overall performance energy combine in a gestalt where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. The way she frames her desire to keep on dancing reveals that this is something deeply soul-filling, nourishing, and satisfying. It goes beyond surface level - it speaks to the universal need to be seen and heard, and to find a place where acceptance and self expression is not only allowed and accepted, but also reflected back to us.
This feeling of belonging, and how we curate and cultivate it, is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
It’s something I deeply care about in the events I produce, and in the spaces and experiences I curate. The common denominator in events like the Vibrato Bar with North Shore Voices - or the Song Share and Showcase events with KLVS - is that I want a place for people to feel at home.
I want to create spaces where people feel at ease. Where they have the tools to express the voice that’s inside them. Where they know that their voices are wanted, welcomed, and valued. Where they know that perfectionism is NOT the M.O., and that this is a place where we’re all on equal footing - welcoming, and ready to eagerly and joyfully support one another.
I’ve been struggling to write out these thoughts for a while now, but the muse of Roan’s Pink Pony Club performance seems to have captured the spirit of my thoughts.
So, in summary - didI expect to be deeply inspired by a pop performance slot at the Grammys? Super nope.
But, I suppose, that is the purpose of art, isn’t it? To surprise us, to meet us where we are, to enable our self-expression, and to remind us that we have much more in common than we might think.
Keep making music. Your voice matters.
~Kim~
Short clip of the performance
Full performance via X
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