ST. LOUIS — Missouri native and pop singer Chappell Roan landed her dream gig when she was booked as an opening act on superstar Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out tour, coming to Enterprise Center in St. Louis this week.
“It really is like a dream come true. I always wanted to play in an arena. It’s been on my bucket list,” says the Willard, Mo., native, now performing night after night in cities like Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Miami and Nashville with Rodrigo.
“I feel like Hannah Montana honestly,” says Roan, referring to the Disney character who was a secret pop star, played by Miley Cyrus.
“It feels really surreal, but I’m so grateful. She’s so kind and giving, and it just feels right. I don’t feel like I’m not ready for it or that I’m unprepared. I’ve worked for a decade to get to this point.”
Rodrigo’s team reached out to Roan’s team to inquire about touring together, Roan says.
“She just asked, and I was like ‘yes’ (laughs). It was very, ‘Wow. Yes, yes, yes, I would love to.’ Duh, yeah. I really look up to her,” Roan says. Rodrigo has also sent Roan flowers several times, including her birthday. “She texts me sweet things. She and the people around her are always the sweetest.”
Playing big arenas like Enterprise Center with upwards of 15,000 people per show is an emotional experience, Roan says. And that’s especially true for her when everyone else in the room is also emotional.
“That energy is very strong, like a solar flare, very spiritual almost. A show, no matter how big or small can feel spiritual. But it’s a lot stronger with more people,” she says.
Her 40-minute set on Rodrigo’s tour showcases Roan as a ball of energy, one decked out in a number of glittery ensembles.
“I run around on stage. It’s cardio on stage. I’m dead after each show, but it’s the most fun I can have in 40 minutes.”
Roan is also headlining a concert at St. Louis Music Park May 30, where fans will get her 90-minute show.
Her headlining shows are themed affairs in which fans come in costumes. The themes are named after her song titles.
“It’s fun to give people a reason to dress up. It’s a communal thing,” she says.
Both versions of her show are incredible, she says, but “my (headlining) show feels more like home because it’s mine.”
Roan is touring on the heels of her 2023 debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” The album features songs like “Pink Pony Club,” “Naked in Manhattan,” “My Kink Is Karma,” and “Red Wine Supernova.”
Slumber party pop is how she describes the album. It’s “my version of a (small town) girl who is finding herself in the big city where she’s exposed to all these queer experiences. It’s a documentation of my life and experiences.” (Roan identifies as queer.)
The album was a whopping four years in the making, a period she describes as intense.
“It took a lot of tenacity and persistence, and it was difficult to see an end in sight. I’m grateful I kept going. But it was super exhausting: years and years of figuring it out, having part-time jobs during all of it.” She also lived at home with her parents during part of the recording process.
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” landed Roan some great placements, such as Spotify’s Artist to Watch in 2024 and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist of 2023.
“I knew my fans would love it. I didn’t realize it would grow so quickly. That’s just crazy to me. People are just hungry for pop. Pop is so special. Anthemic pop is infectious. I love to make that kind of pop, especially when it’s directed towards the queer community,” says Roan.
