As her star continues to grow, Chappelle Rowan speaks out against stalkers and overbearing fans who think it's okay to harass or abuse her online or in person.
In a series of TikTok posts she shared earlier today, the singer shared her feelings about the expectations fans have of her and the artificial sense of familiarity that fame in the digital age has created for fans of her music. Roan, whose debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” currently sits at No. 2 behind Taylor Swift on the Billboard 200, first made her point by comparing the way people talk to her to how they would respond to a random person on the street.
“I want you to answer the questions, just answer my questions for a second: If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her out of your car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you walk up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I take a picture with you?’ and she says, ‘No, what the hell?’ and then get mad at this random lady?” she said. “Would you be offended if she said no to your time because she has her own time? Would you go after her family? Would you follow her? Would you try to dissect her life and cyberbully her? This is a lady you don’t know and who doesn’t know you at all. Would you assume she’s a good person, or a bad person? Would you assume everything you read online about her is true? I’m a random bitch, and you’re a random bitch. Just think about that for a second, okay?”
Rowan went on to respond more explicitly to fans abusing, stalking, or stalking her or her family. “I don’t care that abuse, harassment, stalking, whatever, is normal for people who are famous or slightly famous, whatever, to do,” she continued. “I don’t care that it’s normal. I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes with the job or the career field that you’ve chosen. That doesn’t make it acceptable, that doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean I want it, that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“I don’t want anything that you think you’re entitled to when you see a celebrity,” she continued. “I don’t care if you think it’s selfish of me to decline a picture or to spend time with you or to give you a hug. That’s not normal. That’s weird. It’s weird how people assume you know someone just because you see them online and listen to their art. That’s really weird! I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior, right?”
Rowan has gained a lot of popularity over the past year thanks to her outstanding performances at Lollapalooza and Coachella. Her debut album, which was released last September, has continued to climb steadily, as have her singles including “Good Luck Babe.” So far, she has had seven hits on the Hot 100 in the past year.
She recently revealed that Hollywood approached her with acting roles that she turned down for various reasons. “I say this with peace, love and blessings. Actors are absolutely crazy. I originally started out in music because I wanted to get my foot in the door to acting, and then I moved to Los Angeles and I was like, 'To hell with this,'” she said in an interview.
