Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The Hot to Go! singer, Missouri native Chappell Roan, shared her desire to capture the heart of country music with her latest single, The Giver.
Chappell Roan recently opened up about her latest track, The Giver, and how stepping into country music has given her creative freedom beyond what pop has allowed.
During the March 13 episode of Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast, the Hot to Go! singer, 27, discussed her new song with hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson. Roan, known for her pop hits from her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, explained her motivation for writing a lesbian country song.
“Well, I can’t call myself the Midwest princess and not acknowledge country music, straight up,” said Roan, who was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in Missouri.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she added, “That’s what I hear in grocery stores. That’s what’s playing on the bus… I know that my heart really wanted to write a country song. I’m not trying to cross genres and say, ‘Hey, look at me.’ I’m not trying to convince a country audience to listen to my music by baiting them with a country song.”
Roan concluded with a lighthearted explanation: “I just think a lesbian country song is really funny, so I wrote that.”
For Chappell Roan, The Giver wasn’t about stepping into country music to make a statement about her identity — it was about embracing the genre’s authentic spirit.
“I wrote a country song not to invade country music, but to really capture what I think the essence of country music is for me — nostalgia, summertime fun, and that feeling you get from the fiddle and banjo, like a country queen,” Roan explained. “It gives me a certain type of freedom that pop music doesn’t allow me to feel.”
Her decision to explore country music felt essential, she told Sutton and Anderson.
“I think it’s interesting, and I had to do it,” Roan said. “I needed to know what it’s like to write a country song and perform it alongside Casual, My Kink Is Karma, or Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl. I just had to do myself justice.”
Roan first introduced The Giver during her Saturday Night Live performance in November 2024. After being introduced by host John Mulaney, she appeared on stage in a pink and white gingham bralette, matching shorts, and cowboy boots. Her band and backing vocalists sported country-inspired outfits as well, marking a departure from her signature drag-inspired stage aesthetic.
Roan has been open about her admiration for queer culture, previously showcasing her support by booking all drag queens as her opening acts during her 2023 Naked in North America tour.