Chappell Roan has won the Best New Artist title at the 2025 Grammys tonight, besting Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, Raye, Benson Boone, Khruangbin, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims. Roan gave a heartfelt speech while accepting the award, beseeching the music industry to provide healthcare and support for developing artists.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stay 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 healthcare, especially to developing artists,” Roan said in her acceptance speech. “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 released her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in 2023. The 2024 single “Good Luck, Babe!” brought her music to an even wider audience. Roan was nominated in five additional categories at this year’s Grammys, placing in each of the Big Four groups. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was up for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, while “Good Luck, Babe!” got nods for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
Earlier in the evening, Roan performed her The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess single “Pink Pony Club” on stage amid a bunch of rodeo clowns and a giant pink pony.
Chappell Roan:
Hello! Thank you to my fellow nominees whose music got me through this past year. Brat was the best part of my night this year. Thank you all who listened to get me hear today. I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stay 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 healthcare, especially to developing artists because I got signed so young. I got signed 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 dehumanized to not have help. And if my label would have prioritized 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 livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels we got you, but do you got us? Thank you.
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