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Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chappell Roan blasted the music industry at the Grammys. It helped start a movement.
When Chappell Roan accepted the award for Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2, she seized the opportunity to urge 'the most powerful people in music' to give artists a livable wage and access to health care. '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 livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,' she said in her acceptance speech. The 'Good Luck, Babe!' singer signed her first record deal when she was 17. After being dropped by her label in 2020, she could not afford health care and struggled to make ends meet. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have health care,' Roan said. 'If my label would've prioritized artists' health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.' On Feb. 5, Jeff Rabhan, a former music and business executive, criticized Roan's comments. In a guest column for the Hollywood Reporter, Rabhan argued that record labels 'are businesses, not charities.' He challenged Roan to 'put your money where your mouth is' and invest in the change she wants to see. Roan responded to the op-ed on Feb. 7. In a series of Instagram stories, the Grammy winner praised Rabhan's call to action as 'genius.' She then said she would donate $25,000 to 'struggling dropped artists' and challenged Rabhan to do the same. With the help of Backline, a nonprofit organization that prioritizes mental health in the music industry, that's exactly what the 'Pink Pony Club' singer did. On Feb. 10, Backline announced it partnered with Roan to create the 'We Got You! Campaign.' Named after a line from Roan's Grammy speech — 'Labels, we got you, but do you got us?' — the campaign is 'a fund to support artists' mental health in an effort to create a safer, more sustainable music industry.' 'Sunday night [Feb. 9], we were informed by [Roan's] team that they chose Backline to be the beneficiary of the $25,000 donation,' Terra Lopez, Backline's community manager, told Yahoo Entertainment. 'It's been a very fast-growing campaign. Easily our single busiest day in our entire five and a half years as an organization.' Founded in 2019 by Hilary Gleason, Backline provides free mental health and wellness resources to people working in the music industry, including artists, managers, agents, promoters, labels, venue staff and their family members. Roughly 48 hours since its launch, the 'We Got You! Campaign' has raised nearly $250,000, said Lopez. Noah Kahan and Charli XCX immediately matched Roan's donation, each giving $25,000 of their own. Live Nation and Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc. (AEG), have also donated to the fund. Mid-interview with Yahoo, Lopez received word that Sabrina Carpenter had just made a $25,000 donation to the campaign too. 'Having these internationally known stars come together and not only support us financially but also let their communities and followers know that we exist has just been huge,' said Lopez. '[The money] is going to help us fund grants to cover these long-term mental health costs because we do find that many folks just don't have the funds and the means to … even think about therapy. So, we're going to pay for therapy costs.' Roan isn't the only star who is speaking out about mental health care for rising stars. On the Feb. 10 episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Ariana Grande said therapy should be built into young stars' contracts. 'It's so important that these record labels, these studios, these TV studios, these big production companies make it a part of the contract when you sign on to do something that's going to change your life in that way, on that scale,' Grande told Maron. 'You need a therapist to be seeing several times a week.' 'The pressures like [Grande] mentioned, especially if you're a woman … feeling like you have to be perfect at all times … there's so much that goes into being an artist. All of that inevitably affects your health,' said Lopez. There's also a misconception that once artists sign with a label, they've 'made it.' 'I think a lot of folks don't understand that when you're in the industry, there really is no bar,' Lopez said. 'You can be signed to a major label and still not have health care and still not have a living wage and still not know how you're going to pay your rent. You could be on the largest label all the time. So, we are seeing artists from all levels, from emerging artists, developing artists to major artists, still struggling with the same issues.' While she's in awe of the support the 'We Got You! Campaign' has seen from some of pop's biggest stars, Lopez urged industry executives to commit to protecting artists. 'This is a movement, and it cannot be a one-time thing. It cannot be a one-time event,' she said. 'We need the industry to fully change and reform itself. We also need artists, especially at the level of the Chappell Roans, Charli XCXs and Sabrina Carpenters, to continue to speak up for all artists. This is going to be a long game.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chappell Roan blasted the music industry at the Grammys. It helped start a movement.
When Chappell Roan accepted the award for Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2, she seized the opportunity to urge 'the most powerful people in music' to give artists a livable wage and access to health care. '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 livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,' she said in her acceptance speech. The 'Good Luck, Babe!' singer signed her first record deal when she was 17. After being dropped by her label in 2020, she could not afford health care and struggled to make ends meet. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have health care,' Roan said. 'If my label would've prioritized artists' health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.' On Feb. 5, Jeff Rabhan, a former music and business executive, criticized Roan's comments. In a guest column for the Hollywood Reporter, Rabhan argued that record labels 'are businesses, not charities.' He challenged Roan to 'put your money where your mouth is' and invest in the change she wants to see. Roan responded to the op-ed on Feb. 7. In a series of Instagram stories, the Grammy winner praised Rabhan's call to action as 'genius.' She then said she would donate $25,000 to 'struggling dropped artists' and challenged Rabhan to do the same. With the help of Backline, a nonprofit organization that prioritizes mental health in the music industry, that's exactly what the 'Pink Pony Club' singer did. On Feb. 10, Backline announced it partnered with Roan to create the 'We Got You! Campaign.' Named after a line from Roan's Grammy speech — 'Labels, we got you, but do you got us?' — the campaign is 'a fund to support artists' mental health in an effort to create a safer, more sustainable music industry.' 'Sunday night [Feb. 9], we were informed by [Roan's] team that they chose Backline to be the beneficiary of the $25,000 donation,' Terra Lopez, Backline's community manager, told Yahoo Entertainment. 'It's been a very fast-growing campaign. Easily our single busiest day in our entire five and a half years as an organization.' Founded in 2019 by Hilary Gleason, Backline provides free mental health and wellness resources to people working in the music industry, including artists, managers, agents, promoters, labels, venue staff and their family members. Roughly 48 hours since its launch, the 'We Got You! Campaign' has raised nearly $250,000, said Lopez. Noah Kahan and Charli XCX immediately matched Roan's donation, each giving $25,000 of their own. Live Nation and Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc. (AEG), have also donated to the fund. Mid-interview with Yahoo, Lopez received word that Sabrina Carpenter had just made a $25,000 donation to the campaign too. 'Having these internationally known stars come together and not only support us financially but also let their communities and followers know that we exist has just been huge,' said Lopez. '[The money] is going to help us fund grants to cover these long-term mental health costs because we do find that many folks just don't have the funds and the means to … even think about therapy. So, we're going to pay for therapy costs.' Roan isn't the only star who is speaking out about mental health care for rising stars. On the Feb. 10 episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Ariana Grande said therapy should be built into young stars' contracts. 'It's so important that these record labels, these studios, these TV studios, these big production companies make it a part of the contract when you sign on to do something that's going to change your life in that way, on that scale,' Grande told Maron. 'You need a therapist to be seeing several times a week.' 'The pressures like [Grande] mentioned, especially if you're a woman … feeling like you have to be perfect at all times … there's so much that goes into being an artist. All of that inevitably affects your health,' said Lopez. There's also a misconception that once artists sign with a label, they've 'made it.' 'I think a lot of folks don't understand that when you're in the industry, there really is no bar,' Lopez said. 'You can be signed to a major label and still not have health care and still not have a living wage and still not know how you're going to pay your rent. You could be on the largest label all the time. So, we are seeing artists from all levels, from emerging artists, developing artists to major artists, still struggling with the same issues.' While she's in awe of the support the 'We Got You! Campaign' has seen from some of pop's biggest stars, Lopez urged industry executives to commit to protecting artists. 'This is a movement, and it cannot be a one-time thing. It cannot be a one-time event,' she said. 'We need the industry to fully change and reform itself. We also need artists, especially at the level of the Chappell Roans, Charli XCXs and Sabrina Carpenters, to continue to speak up for all artists. This is going to be a long game.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chappell Roan Doubles Down on Her ‘Call to Action' for the Music Industry: ‘Help Us Make Real Change'
After making headlines with her critical acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammys, Chappell Roan is doubling down on helping up-and-coming artists earn a livable wage and affordable healthcare. In a series of posts to Instagram Stories on Sunday night (Feb. 9), Roan continued the conversation about her speech, and called on music industry's power players to invest more financial support into their artists. 'Sharing my personal experience at the Grammys wasn't meant to be a crowdfunded bandaid but a call to action to the leaders of the industry to step up, help us make a real change and protect their investments in a sustainable way,' she wrote. More from Billboard Chappell Roan Called Out Healthcare Struggles for Artists. Advocates Say It's About Time. Donald Trump Taunts Taylor Swift After Apparent Super Bowl Boos: 'MAGA Is Very Unforgiving' Teddy Swims Likens His Teen Years to 'High School Musical': 'I Call Myself the Fat Troy Bolton' The 'Pink Pony Club' singer also continued to indirectly call out former music industry executive Jeff Rabhan, who criticized the singer's speech in a blistering op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter. Rabhan referred to Roan's call for change 'wildly misinformed' and claimed that the singer was both 'too green and too uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today.' 'My mind will not be changed about artists deserving more than what's standard in the industry,' she wrote. 'Random dudes are allowed to criticize my Grammy speech, but they best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out the way.' Roan and Rabhan previously traded public messages, with Roan calling for Rabhan to match her $25,000 donation to funding developing artists. Rabhan, in turn, replied that Roan should 'stop dumpster diving' by criticizing his criticism, and instead should 'act like the agent of change you say you want to be,' pointing out that the singer's donation came after his critique. In her posts, Roan also revealed the charity she was sharing her money with — Backline, a nonprofit that 'connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.' Specifically, Roan pointed to a fundraising initiative from the organization that is 'supporting accessibility of health care for artists.' However, Roan told her fans that she did not expect them to donate to these efforts — instead she pointed out that industry executives should feel compelled to donate to the organization. 'Fans, y'all don't have to donate a damn penny,' she wrote. 'This is one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists. There is much more work to be done.' For anyone questioning whether or not Roan herself shared such a donation, the 'Hot to Go' singer concluded her posts with a screenshot of a confirmation email from Backline confirming her donation of $25,000 to their fundraiser. 'Here,' she added. Among those who shared their support for Roan were Noah Kahan and Charli XCX, both of whom pledged to match the singer's $25,000 donation before her latest posts, with both artists posting since-expired posts to their Instagram Stories. 'I'm inspired by you,' Kahan said of the singer. 'Happy to get the ball rolling. Money where my mouth is.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chappell Roan Gives Her Final Word to Music Industry Leaders: "My Mind Will Not Be Changed"
CBSChappell Roan remains, as ever, your favorite artist's favorite artist, with Charli XCX pledging to match her $25,000 donation to support healthcare for developing musicians. Last week, the Hollywood Reporter published an attempted takedown of Roan's Grammys speech, in which she advocated for labels to provide better healthcare for up and coming musicians. The op-ed, written by former music industry executive Jeff Rabhan, was widely criticized, including by Halsey, who called the piece a 'ranting, seething tantrum.' Roan herself responded last week via Instagram Stories, tagging Rabhan's personal account and challenging him to match her donation of $25,000 to 'struggling dropped artists.' In turn, Rabhan posted an 'open letter' to Roan and Halsey on February 7, opening with, '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?' (Per Rabhan's public LinkedIn, he was the Chair of New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music from 2009 to 2021, and had several high-level positions in the music industry prior to that.) Roan posted to her Instagram story again on Sunday night, writing that her speech 'wasn't meant to be a crowdfunded bandaid but a call to action to the leaders of the industry to step up, help us make real change and protect their investments in a sustainable way.' She went on to say that she won't be changing her mind about artists 'deserving more than what's standard in the industry.' 'Random dudes are allowed to criticize my Grammys speech, but they best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out of the way.' In her subsequent slides, Roan posted a link to Backline Care, a mental health and wellness organization specifically for workers in the music industry, and posted a receipt of her donation. Charli XCX later posted to her story to say that she'd be matching Roan's donation, inspired by folk singer Noah Kahan, who also said he'd be doing the same. 'your speech at the grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. happy to help get the ball rolling too. money where mouth is xx,' she wrote, accompanied by a picture of her mouth with an arrow pointing to it, and the word 'money.' Maybe not quite the Chappell x Charli collab we envisioned, but it's absolutely the one that artists deserve. Originally Appeared on them.
Los Angeles Times
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Charli XCX, Noah Kahan pledge to match Chappell Roan's $25,000 for artists' healthcare
After her Grammy Awards acceptance speech about how record labels treat their developing musicians, Chappell Roan made a donation of $25,000 to 'struggling dropped artists' — and might have started a trend. Charli XCX and Noah Kahan announced pledges to match Roan's donation, which she made in response to the author of an op-ed critical of her Grammys speech. 'I'm inspired by you,' said Kahan in an Instagram story on Saturday. 'Happy to help get the ball rolling. Money where my mouth is!' 'i am going to match your $25k to support artists' access to healthcare,' Charli XCX also said in an Instagram story on Saturday. 'i saw [Noah Kahan] say that he would do the same and so i thought i'd follow suit. your speech at the grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. happy to help get the ball rolling too. money where my mouth is.' Roan first called out record labels during last Sunday's Grammys ceremony, when she accepted the award for best new artist. '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 in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,' said the pop singer, who was signed as a teenager by Atlantic Records in 2018. When she was dropped by the label, '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 said to applause from fellow artists including Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Benson Boone. 'It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have health[care]. 'If my label would've prioritized artists' health, I could've been provided care by a company I was giving everything to,' she continued. 'So, record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?' Roan tagged Jeff Rabhan on Friday in an Instagram story screenshot of his Hollywood Reporter op-ed, in which he described the 26-year-old musician as 'far too green and too uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today.' 'If labels are responsible for artists' wages, health care and overall well-being, where does it end and personal responsibility begin?' wrote Rabhan, the former chair of New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. 'There is no moral or ethical obligation by any standard that hold labels responsible for the allocation of additional funds beyond advances and royalties.' Since Rabhan wrote that Roan should 'do something about it — rather than just talk at it,' Roan made the donation and challenged Rabhan to do the same. '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,' she said in the Instagram story, adding that she'd 'show receipts of the donations' and shouted out a handful of artists 'that deserve more love and a bigger platform,' including Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again and Baby Storme.
