Another pop star going country,
Today, pop sensation Chappell Roan announced that she plans to release a new song called “The Giver” on March 13th, which she herself called a “country” song, saying she grew up listening to country and it was all around her growing up in small town Missouri.
She explained that it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s trying to make a country album, though she has a “special place” in her heart for the genre and definitely left the door open to make more country in the future:
“‘The Giver.’ OUT 8pm et 3.13. Daniel Nigro and I wrote this together and it was so fun!!! We’ve never done a country song and I have such a special place in my heart for country music. I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bon fires, grocery stores and karaoke bars.
Many people have asked if this means I’m making a country album??? My answer is.. hmm right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun and The Giver is my take on cuntry xoxo may the classic country divas lead their genre, I am just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for y’all.”
If you follow music even from afar, you’ve probably heard of her 2023 breakout album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which featured hits like “Good Luck, Babe!” and was nominated for several Grammy’s this year.
She ended up taking home the coveted Best New Artist trophy at the show in February.
I know a lot of people will hate this, but I actually do like some of her music a lot (“Pink Pony Club” lives rent free in my head, I can’t lie), but obviously, I think the pop stars going “country” schtick is usually nothing to write home about these days and hardly ever actually works. It’s no secret that country music is hot right now, and it feels like everyone and their mother is trying to put out a country project right now. But it rarely ever feels sincere… it feels like a costume, like you’re playing dress-up.
But for some reason, country music is the only genre where you can do that and not be laughed off the stage. Pop stars love to thrown on some boots and a hat, but can you imagine a big star like Luke Combs dying his hair black, slapping on some guy-liner, and recording an early 2000s-era, emo punk rock song? He’d be laughed off the stage.
Chappell actually already debuted the new “country” song during an SNL appearance last year, and I have to say, it’s pretty much exactly what I expected in terms of the sound… it’s pop, but there some fiddle mixed in which definitely gives it a lot more twang than all of her other music. I was never under the impression that it would sound like it was straight out of a Loretta Lynn album, and I can hear a lot of Shania Twain influence here. I’d be willing to bet she probably pulled a lot of inspiration from the pop country queen on this song, but we’ll get to hear what the final studio cut sounds like soon.
Titled “The Giver,” the song has been dubbed a “lesbian country anthem” with Chappell delivering this line in the bridge about how “only a woman” knows how to treat a woman right:
“All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right, well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.”
— v (@ViralContentz) November 3, 2024
With her already debuting it on SNL and teasing her next album, it seems like this song will be a big part of the rollout, and could even be a big radio single too.
Here’s the SNL performance:
