Chappell Roan is officially a Grammy winner, and she used her first acceptance speech to shine a spotlight on a crucial issue in the music industry.
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena, Roan was named Best New Artist of the year, triumphing over fellow nominees like Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, and Raye. The “Pink Pony Club” singer made sure to use her moment in the spotlight to speak out for change.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and stood 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 offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,” Roan said, having changed out of her red-carpet Jean Paul Gaultier look into a light babydoll dress and a medieval princess hat.
Roan went on to share how this issue has personally affected her. “Because I was signed at such a young age, as a minor, when I was dropped, I had zero job experience, and like most people, I had a hard time finding work during the pandemic and couldn’t afford health insurance,” she explained. “It was devastating to feel so dedicated to my art and yet betrayed by the system, feeling so dehumanized by not having healthcare. If my label had prioritized artists' health, I could have had access to care from the company I was giving everything to.”
She concluded her speech with a powerful question for those in power within the industry: “So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage, health insurance, and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
Tonight, Roan was nominated in six categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Solo Performance. Earlier in the evening, she also took the stage for her first-ever performance at the prestigious event.