Her Kink is Karma: Chappell Roan and Women’s Power on Social Media
For women like Chappell Roan, there truly is nothing kinkier than karma–or, more specifically for the “HOT-TO-GO” singer, there’s nothing kinkier than a direct call-out to your critics.
Due to a viral 2024 GovBall Performance, Chappell Roan experienced a sudden surge to stardom after first entering the music industry at just 16. Her first official awards season ended with a bang, as the 26-year-old performed “Pink Pony Club” on the Grammys stage and took home her first award for “Best New Artist.” Her acceptance speech called for labels to provide job security and benefits to artists, referencing her experience when Atlantic Records dropped her in the midst of the 2020 pandemic.
“And if my label would have prioritized artist health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to... Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
For many, Chappell Roan has been a refreshing voice in the music industry. She is an unapologetic, queer woman who has demonstrated vulnerability and openness regarding social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and now, basic rights for artists in the music industry. There are some, however, who view the singer’s fearlessness as mere “naivete”; at least, such is the case for Jeffrey Rabhan.
Rabhan, the former Chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, was one of the loudest to critique the artist’s Grammy speech. His article in The Hollywood Reporter, lovingly entitled “Chappell Groan,” claimed that the singer’s call for labels to offer artists a living wage was “taking aim at the very machine that got her there.” He dared the singer to “put her money where her mouth is,” writing that Chappell Roan expressed a clear lack of understanding about how the music industry works. Rabhan spends most of the article sourly explaining how labels make money while simultaneously requesting that Chappell Roan perhaps “donate 2 to 3 percent” of her salary to the struggling artists she discussed in her speech.
“Demanding that labels pay artists like salaried employees ignores the fundamental economic structure of the business. No one is forcing artists to sign deals. For the one-millionth time — if they don’t like the terms, they can stay independent, own their masters and take the financial risk themselves.”
Chappell Roan has been in the music industry for the past decade and is more than qualified to critique the field that has brought her both professional anxiety and immense success. But articles like Rabhan’s are no surprise to female artists – a bitter man explaining why you are wrong about a topic you know personally and professionally well is a universal female experience.
The music industry has been historically unkind to many artists before Chappell Roan – from the hypersexualization of Britney Spears as a minor to the blacklisting of Janet Jackson in the music industry after a wardrobe mishap. Female singers almost always have to fight to be respected in a field that heavily profits from their work. However, in the age of social media, there has been a shift in the narrative. Instead of learning about artists and the issues they care about through magazines and large-scale news outlets, singers like Chappell Roan can personally share their views directly to their audiences on their public platforms. And Chappell Roan made sure to let everyone know she took Jeffrey Rabhan’s criticism to heart–precisely by putting her money where her mouth is.
Broadcasted to her 6.5 Million Followers, Chappell Roan posted a call-out to Jeffrey Rabhan the next day on her Instagram story, calling him “genius!” for his idea to financially support struggling artists.
“Mr. Rabhan, I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is’... Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same.”
The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer promised to donate $25,000 to artists dropped by their labels, while letting her audience know that she would post receipts and keep everyone updated on Jeffrey Rabhan’s response. She then highlighted smaller artists Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again, and Baby Storme. In a teasingly graceful fashion, Chappell Roan did exactly what the former NYU director requested. And social media had a field day.
In support of Chappell Roan, other artists addressed Jeffrey Rabhan’s comments. Halsey directly called out Rabhan for his “boot-licking behavior” to her 30.9 million followers, while Noah Kahan and Charli XCX promised to match Roan’s donation to an organization of her choice. The singer later posted receipts of her $25K donation to the organization Backline, which provides “wellness resources for music industry professionals.” Jeffrey Rabhan’s article received much backlash when initially published, but Chappell Roan’s response was praised tenfold.
Despite dealing with quick rises to stardom and harsh industry criticism, female artists often undertake political or social causes that reach beyond their personal and professional lives. We saw it with Taylor Swift in 2020 as she encouraged her fans to register to vote while offering Joe Biden her endorsement. Olivia Rodrigo offered free contraceptives at her Missouri Concert and shared Planned Parenthood resources on her social media in defense of abortion rights. Kehlani took to social media to call on fellow industry professionals to speak up for the genocide in Gaza, and shared footage of her attending protests for Palestine in Los Angeles. Raye infamously blew up on social media after releasing a series of tweets exposing her label’s refusal to support her first album, which later allowed her to break her contract. Megan Thee Stallion utilized her personal platform to tell her story about how Tory Lanez assaulted her in 2020. She later published an op-ed entitled “Why I Speak Up For Black Women” discussing her experience, which went viral on the @nytopinion Instagram page. And on and on.
Social media allows many different genres of female artists the ability to voice their opinions and create effective change. Because of Roan’s ability to shape her narrative through an individualized public platform, the singer was able to defend her reputation and pull support for causes and communities important to her artistic message.
Consequently, Backline created a fund entitled “We Got You” specifically dedicated to the issues Chappell Roan discusses. The fund allows those who are passionate about artists’ employment rights to make additional donations to her $25,000 investment. “Putting my money where my mouth is”, “$50 served Hot to Go”, and additional snarky sentiments continue to roll in alongside donations, with artists like Lauv and Sabrina Carpenter adding another total $50K to the cause.
Social media has never been perfect. For every good thing it can do, there will always be another counter-example. But for singers like Chappell Roan, the message she brings on her platform – particularly one that promotes self-advocacy and inclusivity – demonstrates that social media can grant female artists the power to take control of their public image. In the midst of Jeffrey Rabhan’s attempt to distract from the singer’s message by questioning her credibility, Chappell Roan was able to revert attention to the issue of importance: ensuring artists are provided basic protections from the labels that benefit from their creativity. And it all happened because she posted a selfie on her Instagram story.
Despite his soapbox, Jeffrey Rabhan (so far) has failed to properly match the energy of Chappell Roan and her public platform or even match the donations requested. He issued an open letter on Twitter to both her and Halsey, bashing them for their responses.
“Who thought it was a good idea to publicly challenge an educator to a 25k “one-upping” contest? Really? Do you know what teachers make?”
It should also be noted that Jeffrey Rabhan, before his job as an advisor in the music industry, has described himself as an experienced “music executive.” He has held multiple leadership positions at companies like Atlantic Records and Elektra Music Group, amidst his other entrepreneurship ventures. In the face of his social media call out, one can only hope Jeffrey Rabhhan’s kink is karma too.