Chappell Roan Comes Back Swinging After Music Exec Criticises Her Grammys Speech
Chappell Roan has fired back at one music executive who criticised her acceptance speech at the Grammys over the weekend.
On Sunday night, the Pink Pony Club singer was awarded the Best New Artist prize at the Grammys, taking the opportunity to appeal for industry-wide changes to help musicians in the early stages of their careers.
Reflecting on her own experiences as a struggling artist, Chappell said: 'I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here, in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.'
As the audience applauded and many of her peers looked on in agreement, she continued: 'I got signed so young, as a minor, and when I got dropped I had zero job experience under my belt.
'Like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic, and could not afford health insurance. It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art, and feel so betrayed by the system, and so dehumanised to not have healthcare.
'And if my label would have prioritised artists' health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to. So, record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance, and protection.'
'Labels,' she concluded. 'we got you. But do you got us?'
Music exec Jeffrey Rabhan subsequently wrote an opinion piece in The Hollywood Reporter, calling Chappell 'far too green and uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today'.
'Roan's call for record labels to pay artists a livable wage and provide health care was noble – but also wildly misinformed,' he wrote.
'Her rise to stardom, fueled by viral moments, major label backing and an industry desperate for the next alternative pop starlet, proves she's no longer a struggling artist. She should do something about it – rather than just talk at it. Change is waiting to be championed, not just announced.'
By way of response, Chappell shared a screengrab of Jeffrey's article on her Instagram story on Friday morning, challenging him to match her in donating $25,000 (around £20K) to help 'struggling dropped artists'.
'[I] will keep everyone updated on the much-awaited [Jeffrey Rabhan] response!!' she added. 'And I will show receipts of the donations.'
Addressing the exec directly, the Grammy winner said: 'I love how in the article you said 'put your money where your mouth is'. Genius!!! Let's link and build together and see if you can do the same.'
Chappell the went on to shout out artists she thinks deserve a bigger platform including Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again and Baby Storme.
Throughout her time in the spotlight, Chappell has become known for speaking out on causes close to heart – including the treatment of artists by both the media and fans.
39 Must-See Moments You Might Have Missed From This Year's Grammys
People Are All Saying The Same Thing About This Pic Of Chappell Roan On The Grammys Red Carpet
Chappell Roan Shared A Message To The Trans Community On Grammys Red Carpet
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
A tale of two eras: Terri Lyne Carrington pays tribute to the revolutionary spirit of Max Roach on ‘We Insist 2025!'
'The more things change, the more they stay the same,' French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Kerr said in 1849. Nearly 200 years later, that is sadly true of the greatest protest songs. In 2025, songs like Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' and Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' are as needed for their messages as they were when they were written more than 60 years ago. So when Grammy-winning jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington set out this year to pay homage to one of her stick-wielding idols, the legendary Max Roach, by revisiting his seminal 1961 album, 'We Insist!,' it turned out to be more than a musical tribute. In the process of recording the album 'We Insist 2025!,' Carrington took time to reflect on how issues of inequality, racism and more that Roach fought against in 1961 are unfortunately just as prevalent today. 'Wow, I can't believe that this stuff is still relevant,' Carrington says. 'When we look at these examples of how things have shifted in some ways, but not in other ways, it can be very depressing, especially right now. When we started this record, the election hadn't happened yet. I thought I knew what was going to happen during this election, and it was still relevant. But now it's even more relevant.' Now 59, Carrington, who also serves as Zildjian Chair in Performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston, is ready to pass along some of the fight for social justice to the younger generation. 'I do feel like it's a youthful game. I had an uncle that I would talk to when I was in my 20s, who has since passed. He would say that this is your fight now, and I would be mad at him, feeling like he wasn't doing more,' she recalls. 'And he would say, 'No, this is your fight now. I've done it, I've been there, I'm tired.' I get that sentiment too. I'm going to do whatever I do, but I'm relying on the younger generation and how pissed off I feel like they are and what that will do.' Among her many ventures to champion the jazz music she loves so much is A&R for iconic jazz label Candid Records, founded by the great jazz writer Nat Hentoff in 1960. So, she called on the younger generation to help share her vision of 'We Insist 2025!' 'I thought of calling the people that had been signed or were being signed to Candid Records because I do A&R for Candid. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to also shine a light on a lot of these artists, young people and progressive artists that are being signed right now to Candid. It's kind of like a family gathering; we all came together to pay tribute to this great artist and this great project,' she says. At the center of the next generation of jazz artists on the album is vocalist Christie Dashiell, with whom Carrington collaborates on the album. 'Somebody like Christie Dashiell was really important to the project, because I felt like the voice is so out front. It's what people relate to; the average ear relates to the voice the most,' Carrington says. 'I just feel like she perfectly embodies all these different areas of Black music traditions. That was really important, so I started there. What is the voice that's going to work with this idea?' Having toured with Herbie Hancock and played with giants as Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, Carrington has a strong sense of jazz history and rightly sees herself as a bridge between the history and future of jazz. She made sure that bridge was strong on 'We Insist 2025!' by including trombonist Julian Priester on the record, who, at 89, is the last living musician who appeared on Roach's 1961 work. 'Jazz has always been about these kinds of bridges between generations. It's been such an important part of jazz. Mentorship, apprenticeships — it's an apprenticeship art form,' she says. 'So we did contemporary things with this music, but it wasn't so contemporary that there was no place for a Julian Priester. I think that the ability to be a bridge is important — pointing to past legacies, to the foundation of what we stand on, while trying to also point to the future or reflect the present is important.' As much as the album's original political message weighs in this turbulent current climate, and as much as Carrington wanted to make the record a vehicle for younger artists, the impetus for 'We Insist 2025!' was to pay tribute to Roach for the centennial anniversary of his birth. For Carrington, the heart of her interpretation was to honor the music and spirit Roach created on 'We Insist!' 'I had a history with reimagining projects in other people's work, and helping that legacy continue, but doing it in a way that also has my own identity involved in a way that really feels new, in a sense,' she says. 'The music is not new, but so many elements around those things are new. So I feel like it's reshaping these things a little, even though we didn't change the lyric content. By changing the music around the lyrics, it gives the lyric a different slant.' As one of the country's primary ambassadors of jazz music today, Carrington hopes the record will introduce new fans to Roach's considerable legacy while helping to revive the soul of protest music. To that end, she has discussed bigger plans with his family. 'I've talked to Max's son, Raul Roach, quite a bit about trying to collaborate by doing shows that would be expansive. Doing some of this music, maybe doing some other Max music, like some of the double quartet music,' she says. 'So we've talked about finding ways to continue this celebration of Max Roach and his artistry. There's a lot there as a foundation that can be expanded upon.'
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Christian music star Michael Tait admits to ‘double life' amid sexual assault, drug abuse allegations: ‘Sadly, largely true'
Grammy award-winning Christian rock singer Michael Tait admitted the drug abuse and sexual assault accusations against him are 'mostly true,' in his first public comments since the bombshell claims surfaced. Tait, the former frontman for Newsboys and DC Talk, said he was living a double life as he allegedly abused hardcore substances with younger men before making unwanted advances toward them, according to Christian media outlet The Roys Report. The 59-year-old addressed the accusations in an Instagram post titled, 'My Confession — June 10, 2025.' Advertisement 'Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true,' Tait wrote. 'For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way.' 'I am ashamed of my life choices and actions, and make no excuses for them. I will simply call it what God calls it — sin. I don't blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them,' he added. 5 Michael Tait sings for the Newsboys during the 49th Annual Dove Awards on Oct. 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Advertisement The report, published June 4, featured sourcing from 50 people, including three men who claim they were targets of Tait's non-consensual sexual advances when they were in their early 20s. Tait allegedly befriended multiple people while on tour, including three men in 2004, 2010 and 2014, respectively. The men claim Tait offered them alcohol or cocaine and later touched them non-consensually, according to The Roys Report. 5 The 59-year-old addressed the accusations in a post to Instagram, titled 'My Confession – June 10, 2025.' @michaeltait/Instagram Advertisement Tait, who abruptly left Newsboys in January because he was 'living a double life,' said he split with the award-winning group 'to get help.' 'I was not healthy, physically or spiritually, and was tired of leading a double life,' he said. Tait revealed that he is sober after he spent six weeks at a Utah treatment center, which he insists saved his life from 'ultimate destruction.' 5 Michael Tait joins the Newsboys during a visit to the SiriusXM Studios in Manhattan on April 15, 2019. Getty Images Advertisement 5 Tait performs at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on March 16, 2024. Getty Images The Washington, DC native said he lied throughout his career as he kept his drug abuse and sex life a secret from everyone he worked and lived with. 'I'm ashamed to admit that for years I have lied and deceived my family, friends, fans and even mislef my bandmates about aspects of my life,' Tait said. 'I was, for the most part, living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person on stage Sunday night as I was at home on Monday.' The current members of Newsboys — Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein and Adam Agee — were left 'shattered' over the allegations against Tait. 'Last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait,' the band wrote on Instagram Tuesday. 'First and foremost, our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories. If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault.' The band was aware of Tait's 'double life' but said they never imagined how bad it could be. Tait is a four-time Grammy winner, taking the award for Best Rock Gospel Album in 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2002. Advertisement He was a nominee for the award at the 2005 show. Tait joined Newsboys in 2009 after having been a founding member of the Christian rap trio DC Talk from 1988 to 2001. After the allegations were made public, Newsboys and DC Talk songs were pulled from the US's largest Christian radio network, K-Love, according to the Christian Post. 5 Duncan Phillips, Jody Davis, Peter Furler, Michael Tait and Jeff Frankenstein of Newsboys attend the red carpet for the 'God's Not Dead: In God We Trust' premiere in Southlake, Texas on Sept. 4, 2024. Getty Images Advertisement 'We are aware of the allegations against Michael Tait, former frontman of the Newsboys,' a K-LOVE spokeswoman told the outlet. 'As the investigation proceeds, our prayers are with all those involved. In the meantime, our Programming Team is resting Newsboys and DC Talk music on our stream.' Tait admitted to being on a path of repentance and started a journey of healing with clinical health professionals, counselors and family. 'I have hurt so many people in so many ways, and I will live with that shameful reality the rest of my life. I can only dream and pray for human forgiveness, because I certainly don't deserve it,' he said. 'I have even accepted the thought that God may be the only One who ultimately and completely forgives me.'
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Sabrina Carpenter sparks controversy with provocative 'Man's Best Friend' album cover
Sabrina Carpenter sparks controversy with provocative 'Man's Best Friend' album cover Show Caption Hide Caption Met Gala: Sabrina Carpenter wears bodysuit Sabrina Carpenter is giving "espresso" as she wears a stunning pinstripe bodysuit to the Met Gala red carpet. Sabrina Carpenter's next musical era doesn't have everyone wagging their tail. Following the release of her latest single "Manchild," the Grammy-winning pop princess revealed the title and release date for her new album, "Man's Best Friend," on her social media pages June 11. "My new album, 'Man's Best Friend' 🐾 is out on August 29, 2025," Carpenter, 26, wrote. "I can't wait for it to be yours x" The post also included an image of what appears to be the album's cover. The photo shows Carpenter, dressed in a black dress and high heels, kneeling on the ground in a dog-like pose while an unidentified individual stands off to the side and pulls her by the hair. "Man's Best Friend," Carpenter's seventh studio effort, follows the release of her breakthrough 2024 album "Short n' Sweet." The album, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, spawned the hit singles "Espresso," "Please Please Please," "Taste" and "Bed Chem," as well as solidified the singer's playful pin-up girl image. Carpenter first teased "Man's Best Friend" with the release of "Manchild" on June 5. The music video for the synth-pop track drew buzz on social media for Carpenter's bold look, which consisted of a white button-up, baby blue heels and denim "micro" shorts. Sabrina Carpenter divides fans with 'Man's Best Friend' cover Carpenter's album cover for "Man's Best Friend" set the comments section ablaze, with fans online chiming in with their hot takes on the provocative image. "Love (you) Sabrina but in this political climate with Trump as president and women's control over their bodies being taken away in the US… this is kind (of) insensitive," Instagram user @taylorrram wrote. "This just set us back about 5 decades," @uhhhlexa_ wrote, while user @mgracegunderson weighed in, "Excited for new music but this cover is a big no from me, dawg. In this political climate?? Girls, get up!" However, other fans welcomed Carpenter's daring imagery along with the announcement of new music. "SUMMER OF SABRINA FOR A SECOND YEAR IN A ROW," Instagram user @aislinndalston exclaimed. Sabrina Carpenter teases 'Manchild' in 'micro' shorts, fans are in awe "Sabrina is coming for album of the year, artist of the year, pop vocal album, all of it and I'm here for it 😍," @erik_osterberg wrote. Responding to some of the criticism aimed at Carpenter, X user @wickednewshub offered a more analytical view of the album artwork. "For those of you who may lack critical thinking skills, the cover is clearly satirical with a deeper meaning, portraying how the public views her, believing she is just for the male gaze," the user wrote. What Sabrina Carpenter backlash says about changing views on sex Carpenter channels sexual desire unapologetically in nearly every song from her most recent album "Short n' Sweet." On "Juno," a cheeky track about wanting to become pregnant because of how much she adores her partner, she croons: "Wanna try out some freaky positions?" The singer's tour performance of "Juno," in which she flaunted a sequined mini skirt and pantomimed a sex position while singing the line "Have you ever tried this one?," sparked fierce debate among fans, with some defending Carpenter's saucy performance style and others criticizing it as "male-focused." This debate actually focuses on a "false dichotomy," Leora Tanenbaum, author of "Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up For Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture," previously told USA TODAY. "(People) ask if she's trying to appeal to the 'male gaze' — appearing hot to cater to hetero men's sexual desires — or to the 'female gaze' — looking sexy on her own terms to make a point about women's confidence and sex-positivity." Sabrina Carpenter, hookup culture and why the way we talk about sex is changing In a changing cultural landscape, in which views on female sexual agency are being reevaluated, women like Carpenter are often scrutinized for their overt sexuality. "Carpenter's lyrics are sexually explicit and may not be appropriate for the Disney audience of children she used to cater to, but her sexual frankness is shocking in this day and age only if you believe that women who are open about sexuality are sluts," Tanenbaum said. Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY
