Chappelle Rowan does absolutely nothing, and she brought a castle, dancing knights and plenty of fire to her medieval-inspired performance at the Video Music Awards on Wednesday night. Chappelle Rowan was, if you will, the Chappelle of Arc.
Rowan, dressed in fake armor, her bright red hair in pigtails, strutted onto the stage holding a crossbow with a flaming arrow, pointed it at the castle, and strutted across the stage singing her latest hit, “Good Luck My Love!” She was surrounded by male dancers in fake armor performing synchronized moves, and behind her was a giant castle, a full moon, and tall gates that were burning with real fire at the start of the show. (Her band was playing further up the stage, behind some low bushes.)
Throughout the performance, she played with the dancers, pushing one's sword away, and briefly sitting on another's bent knee, while the performance culminated with some fake sword fights from the dancers and giant explosions at the back of the stage (they weren't real, but were projected on a video screen).
You nailed the song's final great note, as you always do.
Rowan was introduced by drag queen Sasha Colby — who mentioned her name on Fallon last June — who said, “Pop music is inclusive — it’s for everyone. And no one has brought that spirit to life more than this next artist. Please welcome your favorite drag queen’s favorite artist: Here’s my girl, Chappelle Rowan!”
Over the past year, Rowan has exploded onto the pop scene with her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” and singles like “Hot To Go” and “Good Luck, Babe!” She earned two VMA nominations this year for “Red Wine Supernova” and Best New Vocal Performance of the Year.
Rowan will head to London shortly after the show to launch her European tour, followed by the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, with two shows on October 6 and October 13.
