The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess explained

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Type:studio
Artist:Chappell Roan
Cover:Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.png
Recorded:2018–2023
Genre:
Length:49:08
Label:
Prev Title:School Nights
Prev Year:2017

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, released on September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records owned by the album's producer, Dan Nigro. Primarily a pop record, Midwest Princess also contains elements of synth-pop, pop rock, new wave, folk-pop, rock, dance-pop, country, and disco.

Written and produced alongside Nigro beginning in 2018, Midwest Princess is noted for its "campy" pop sound and influence from LGBT performance art such as drag shows. The album is inspired by Roan's experience leaving her hometown in Missouri for Los Angeles to pursue a career as a singer. During her journey of self-discovery, Roan navigated love, heartbreak, and embraced her sexual identity – themes that would become central to the record. After being dropped by her label, Roan continued her career as an independent artist, releasing songs that would form the foundation of Midwest Princess.[1]

Midwest Princess was met with widespread acclaim and praised by music critics for its bold, innovative, and emotionally charged nature. Reviews also complimented the album's engaging blend of sharp songwriting, dynamic pop elements, and Roan's vocal performance. Several publications ranked it on multiple year-end best albums lists for 2023.

Although not an immediate commercial success, Midwest Princess garnered a cult following in the months after its release and became regarded as a "sleeper hit" by early 2024. The album's commercial breakthrough was largely influenced by Roan's supporting act on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour, her performances at music festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and the success of her follow-up single, "Good Luck, Babe!". By June 2024, Midwest Princess had climbed the charts, peaking at number one in Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, plus within the top five of the US Billboard 200. Subsequently, several of its singles ("My Kink Is Karma", "Femininomenon", "Casual", "Pink Pony Club", "Red Wine Supernova", and "Hot to Go!") entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since their release.[2]

Roan promoted the album by headlining the Midwest Princess Tour in 2023 and 2024, along with appearances on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts series, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Background and recording

Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project she later admitted she "hated". In 2018, Roan started working with Dan Nigro, eventually releasing the album's first single, "Pink Pony Club", in April 2020 after Atlantic Records had said "no" to the song "for a year". Roan ultimately was dropped by Atlantic later in 2020. In addition to breaking up with her boyfriend of over four years and the COVID-19 pandemic, Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri. She worked jobs to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro, and signed to his Island Records imprint Amusement.[3] Roan said that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept [her] queerness".[4]

Critical reception

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess received critical acclaim upon release.[5] [6] Olivia Horn of Pitchfork called the album "a bold and uproarious introduction, buoyed by sturdy songcraft and steely indifference to good taste", also writing that Roan is "blessed with a powerful and versatile voice". Otis Robinson of DIY summarized it as "thoughtful, a little unhinged and entirely contradictory, merging the alt-pop seriousness of Lana Del Rey with the untethered preppy charm of Lorde to go full throttle into messy, emotional fun".

NMEs Hannah Mylrea dubbed it a "bratty, wacky record of huge pop bangers" as well as an "album that combines Roan's electrifying pop stylings with her funny, irresistible songwriting". Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit opined that Roan "is a blazing tour-de-force on her debut album. She tackles every corner of human sexuality, psychology, desire, and lust, all on some of the hookiest choruses of this year". Robert Moran of The Sydney Morning Herald described it as "pop at its most fun and life-affirming".[7]

Accolades

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was included in several best-albums-of-2023 year-end lists, being ranked in those by The A.V. Club (2nd),[8] TIME (4th),[9] Nylon (8th),[10] Dork (11th),[11] Rolling Stone (12th),[12] Billboard (13th),[13] The Skinny (19th),[14] Uproxx (1 of 74 unranked albums),[15] Alternative Press (1 of 50 unranked albums),[16] and Vogue (1 of 27 unranked albums).[17] It was also listed as one of Pitchfork's 22 Best Pop Albums of 2023[18] and was named Pop Buzz's Number One Album of 2023.[19]

Track listing

Note

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] 3
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíðindi)[21] 14
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[22] 32
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 30
US Billboard 200[25] 2

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Daw . Stephen . 2022-12-20 . Chappell Roan’s Big Year: How the DIY Indie-Pop Star ‘Casual’-ly Thrived in Her Post-Label Era . 2024-08-13 . Billboard . en-US . November 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231115221037/https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/chappell-roan-interview-2022-casual-1235186590/ . live .
  2. Web site: McIntyre . Hugh . Chappell Roan’s Incredible Hot 100 Sweep . 2024-08-13 . Forbes . en . August 5, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240805004405/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/08/01/chappell-roans-incredible-hot-100-sweep/ . live .
  3. Confessions of a 'Midwest Princess': How Chappell Roan's Debut Album Arose From the 'Deep Pits of Hell' to Become a 'Dream Come True'. Variety. Shafer. Ellise. September 22, 2023. September 27, 2023. December 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231228165448/https://variety.com/2023/music/news/chappell-roan-debut-album-rise-and-fall-midwest-princess-1235719522/. live.
  4. How Chappell Roan Found 'Complete Freedom and Euphoria' Making Her Debut Album. Rolling Stone. Mier. Tomás. September 21, 2023. September 27, 2023. December 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231228165340/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/chappell-roan-midwest-princess-freedom-queer-identity-1234828846/. live.
  5. News: 2024 . Chappell Roan Release New Single 'Good Luck, Babe!" . July 18, 2024 . . The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess–earning her praise, critical acclaim . July 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718133143/https://www.universalmusic.ca/press-releases/chappell-roan-releases-new-single-good-luck-babe/ . live .
  6. Mendez II . Moises . June 14, 2024 . How Chappell Roan Skyrocketed to Pop Stardom . July 18, 2024 . . she released The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess with Amusement Records ... to widespread acclaim.
  7. News: Dropped by her label, she's now made the funnest (and queerest) pop album of the year. The Sydney Morning Herald. Moran. Robert. September 22, 2023. September 27, 2023. December 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231205230359/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/dropped-by-her-label-she-s-now-made-the-funnest-and-queerest-pop-album-of-the-year-20230918-p5e5i5.html. live.
  8. Web site: December 13, 2023 . The 27 best albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . The A.V. Club . en . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214010251/https://www.avclub.com/best-albums-2023-1851094504/ . live .
  9. December 5, 2023 . The 10 Best Albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Time . en . December 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231226235730/https://time.com/6340131/best-albums-2023/ . live .
  10. Web site: December 20, 2023 . NYLON's Top Albums Of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Nylon . en . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228225226/https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/nylons-top-10-albums-of-2023 . live .
  11. Web site: Dork . December 18, 2023 . Dork's Top 50 Albums of 2023: 50-41 . December 27, 2023 . Dork . en-US . December 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227043838/https://readdork.com/features/dorks-top-50-albums-of-2023-50-41/ . live .
  12. November 30, 2023 . The 100 Best Albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Rolling Stone . en-US . November 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231130155736/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2023-1234879538/ . live .
  13. Glicksman . Josh . December 6, 2023 . The 50 Best Albums of 2023: Staff List . December 27, 2023 . Billboard . en-US . December 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206175633/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-albums-2023/ . live .
  14. Web site: The Skinny's Albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Theskinny.co.uk . en . March 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240304092428/https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/albums-of-the-year/the-skinnys-albums-of-2023 . live .
  15. Web site: December 4, 2023 . These Are The Best Albums Of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Uproxx.com . en-US . December 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227061831/https://uproxx.com/music/best-albums-2023-list/ . live .
  16. Web site: Schade . Anna Zanes, Neville, Alessandra . December 12, 2023 . 50 best albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Alternative Press Magazine . en-US . October 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231019002246/https://www.altpress.com/best-albums-2023/ . live .
  17. Web site: October 23, 2023 . The Best Albums of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Vogue . en-US . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229073801/https://www.vogue.com/article/best-albums-of-2023 . live .
  18. Web site: December 12, 2023 . The Best Pop Music of 2023 . December 27, 2023 . Pitchfork . en-US . December 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231226235154/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-pop-music-2023/ . live .
  19. Web site: The best albums of 2023 . Popbuzz.com . January 17, 2024 . December 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231215085718/https://www.popbuzz.com/music/features/best-albums-2023/ . live .
  20. Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of August 24, 2024. Billboard. August 20, 2024.
  21. Web site: Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 32 – 2024 . . is. The Music – Albums – Week 32 – 2024. August 10, 2024. August 10, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240810141725/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. live.
  22. Web site: 2024 33-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. August 16, 2024. August 16, 2024.
  23. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. August 19, 2024. August 16, 2024. August 16, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240816040840/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=5851. live.
  24. Web site: Veckolista Album, vecka 33. Sverigetopplistan. August 16, 2024. August 16, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240816121020/https://sverigetopplistan.se/chart/54/?dspy=2024&dspp=33. live.
  25. Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Hits 15th Week Atop Billboard 200. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. August 18, 2024. August 18, 2024. August 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240818212147/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-15th-week-number-one-billboard-200-1235755555/. live.

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