Chappelle Rowan isn't just a Midwestern princess—she's a medieval princess. The musician made her MTV Video Music Awards debut in front of a castle, and her appearance on the red carpet with a medieval sword and guard was a foreshadowing. Rowan fired a flaming arrow at the castle on stage, setting it on fire as she belted out “Good Luck Babe” from her debut album. The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess.
As the guards fought with swords around her, Rowan sang amid the violence and smoke of the flames. In her ancient armor, she knelt down and sang the famous “Good Luck My Love.” “When you wake up beside him in the middle of the night/ With your head in your hands, you’re nothing more than his wife,” she sang. “And when you think of me, years ago/ You stand face to face with the one I told you so.”
Chappell Roan lights up the #VMAs stage with "Good Luck, Babe" pic.twitter.com/uWNzqkU8Er
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 12, 2024
Your favorite drag queen, Sasha Colby, introduced Roanne's performance with a heartfelt speech fit for your favorite singer. “Pop music is inclusive. No matter who you love, it's for everyone,” she said. “And no one has captured that spirit more than this next artist. You've all seen her explode. Midwest Princess is in the house. Favorite artist to your favorite drag queen, here's my girl: Chappelle Roanne.”
Rowan is one of three finalists for Best New Artist at this year's VMAs. She's up against Gracie Abrams and Tila. The singer has nominations for MTV Push Performance of the Year for her performance of “Red Wine Supernova” in March 2024 and Best Trending Video for “Hot to Go!” She was also up for one of the night's biggest awards, Song of the Summer, for “Good Luck, Babe!”
Rowan is also Rolling StoneIn the interview, the singer spoke about all the people, both inside and outside the music industry, who didn't believe in her as she was transforming into the pop star she was. “It's so good to prove them wrong because they weren't just a little bit wrong, they were really, really, really wrong,” she said. “Knowing that my instinct was right is the best feeling in the world. Deliberate revenge doesn't feel good, but accidental revenge feels great.”
And for anyone who thinks she built the foundation of this pop empire — and the burning castle around it — overnight, she had a message for you, too: “What’s so annoying is how people are taking me seriously now. Like, ‘You know what, bitch? I’ve been doing this shit and now you’re catching up to me.’”
