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Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chappell Roan hits back at Grammys speech criticism
Chappell Roan has hit back at a music executive who criticised her speech at the Grammys. At the weekend, the US singer called for record labels to give a 'liveable wage' to rising stars, after winning the best new artist award at the ceremony. Her comments, which also urged companies to provide healthcare for those at the start of their music career, were criticised by Jeff Rabhan, who has worked with singers including Kelly Clarkson, and is the co-founder and chief executive of an artist, audience and brand platform. In an opinion piece in the Hollywood Reporter, Rabhan described Roan's speech as 'noble, but also wildly misinformed'. He said her 'rise to stardom, fuelled by viral moments, major label backing and an industry desperate for the next alternative pop starlet, proves she's no longer a struggling artist'. He added that she should 'do something about' the issues for rising stars in the industry, instead of just talking about the problem. On Friday, Roan, 26, urged Rabhan to 'match me' in donating 25,000 US dollars (£20,166) to 'struggling dropped artist', in an Instagram story, and added: 'Let's talk.' She followed this up with another story saying: 'Mr Rabhan, 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.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by ･ﾟ: *✧ Chappell Roan ✧*:･ﾟ (@chappellroan) The singer then wrote 'in the meantime, here are some artists that deserve more love and a bigger platform', and posted Spotify screenshots of US singers including Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley and Baby Storme. Rabhan also said that when Roan won a Grammy, she became 'no longer the scrappy indie artist fighting from the fringes, she became part of the establishment', and called her 'disingenuous' for having mainstream success, and then criticising the industry. He also wrote: 'Record labels are businesses, not charities, and the deal is simple, they put up the money, take the risk and, in return, they get a cut of the profits. 'Could the system be better? Sure. Should artists get better deals? Absolutely. But Roan's speech lacked the nuance and industry awareness to build any consensus or even speak to the priorities of an artist's platform of issues.' Elsewhere, Rabhan said that starting a foundation, running a mentorship programme and investing in up and coming artists 'is what real industry disruptors do', citing the example of artists such as Taylor Swift, who got control of her own music by re-recording her albums. Roan was nominated for six awards at the ceremony, including album of the year and best pop vocal album for The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, and song of the year and record of the year for Good Luck Babe! She said at the event on Sunday: '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.' She added that she 'got signed so young, I got signed as a minor, and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt and, like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic and could not afford health insurance'. She called for record labels to treat artists as employees, with wages and health insurance. According to a census from charity Help Musicians and the Musicians' Union (MU), about half of British musicians are earning less than £14,000 a year from music, and 43% of respondents said they earn less than that figure. It also disclosed that the average annual income from music is reported at £20,700, which is based on all respondents earning any percentage of their total income from music.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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
