Chappell Roan has pulled out of her planned performances at All Things Go Festival in New York City and Washington, D.C, to prioritise her health.
- READ MORE: Chappell Roan live in London: a joyous celebration of queerness, community and fun
The ‘Hot To Go’ singer was slated to play at the twin festivals this weekend (September 28 and 29), however, she announced today (September 27) that she would no longer be performing due to an “overwhelming” past few weeks.
In a statement shared to her Instagram story, Roan wrote: “I apologize to people who have been waiting to see me in NYC & DC this weekend at All Things Go, but I am unable to perform. Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it.”
She went on to say: “I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health. I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. Thank you for understanding. Be back soon xox.”
All Things Go then shared their own statement on Twitter/X, saying they’re “heartbroken” that Roan won’t be performing, but that “it’s important to remember that health and well-being always comes first.”
They added: “All Things Go strongly supports artists prioritizing their well-being and we ask our community to rally around Chappel Roan with love and understanding. Let’s continue to show the world that music fans support not just the art, but the artists themselves.”
We support you Chappell Roan pic.twitter.com/LmNgwY2MlP
— All Things Go (@AllThingsGo) September 27, 2024
Earlier this month, the pop singer revealed she’d been diagnosed with “severe depression”, attributing her sudden rise to fame and the subsequent drastic changes to her life as the cause of her symptoms.
“I think it’s because my whole life has changed. Everything that I really love to do now comes with baggage,” she told the Guardian. “If I want to go thrifting, I have to book security and prepare myself that this is not going to be normal. Going to the park, pilates, yoga – how do I do this in a safe way where I’m not going to be stalked or harassed?”
Roan has made headlines with her stance on fame and fandom in recent months, with her recently comparing fame to “an abusive ex-husband”. In an interview with The Face, the singer vented about the normalisation of extreme fan behaviour including “stalking, talking shit online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public.” She added: “I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
Prior to that, in August she took to TikTok to share her thoughts on “weird” and “creepy” followers, and called out the “predatory behaviour” of so-called “superfans” that includes “nonconsensual physical and social interactions”.
After her initial comments about fan behaviour, and the subsequent backlash, a handful of female artists came to Roan’s defence, including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, MUNA, Miley Cyrus, boygenius and Sabrina Carpenter.
The ‘Red Wine Supernova’ singer also shared that Lorde had reached out to share her own experiences dealing with fame and negativity at a young age. “She sent me a list of things I should do,” Roan said. “Literally wrote down eight things she wished someone would have told her when she was going through it. And she went through fucking hell. She was a baby!”
Lily Allen also recently praised Roan, saying she is “changing the landscape” around fan behaviour and personal boundaries for artists.
In other news, last week, the singer-songwriter shared that she was choosing not to back Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, arguing that there are “problems on both sides”. She said: “I have so many issues with our government in every way. There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides.”
She later expanded on her comments with a TikTok post, prefacing the video by saying that she has “encouraged people to use critical thinking skills” to “learn about what they’re voting for” and “ask questions”. After further backlash against her comments, she went on to clarify her election stance, saying: “I’m voting for fucking Kamala but I’m not settling for what has been offered. Because that’s questionable. It’s questionable, the actions of our government, of the internet, of you and me.”
