“All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right… well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right!” exclaims the emerging powerhouse to the music scene, Chappell Roan. Grammy Award winner of the “Best New Artist” category Roan recently released her first single since skyrocketing to fame just last year. The song debuted on “Saturday Night Live” back in November, with Roan sporting a full face of drag makeup and a custom pink gingham two-piece. Following the late-night performance and a 2024 Governors Ball Music Festival teaser of a different unreleased song “The Subway,” fans anxiously waited and wondered when the Missouri-native would officially release new music.
While her debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” has been performed time and time again, when Roan takes the stage it isn’t just the catchy pop vocals that captivate you. Her unapologetically vibrant stage presence and artistry are what make her a force to be reckoned with, and that hasn’t changed for the rollout of her new song. Mysterious flyers and billboards popped up around the country, prompting fans to call the HOT-TO-GO hotline, where they were greeted with an interactive menu of job titles and sound bites.
Following all the teasers, Roan officially announced the song to be released on March 13. She wrote to Instagram that releasing a country song was a “def bold and scary move” after numerous pop hits, but her risks paid off as the song debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. Produced by Dan Nigro, the song opens up with a fiddle, a new sound for her; however, its prominence in the track certainly pulls listeners into the country swing, or at the very least pop country.
The lesbian pop icon is not shy of a double entendre, using lines such as “other boys may need a map / But I can close my eyes / And have you wrapped around my fingers” to suggest that she can find what you’re looking for. The second verse follows this indicative mantra “Good luck finding a man who has the means / To rhinestone cowgirl all night long,” which could be a reference to her campy Midwest aesthetic, or something more provocative.
Even after just one listen, it becomes clear that she is addressing an important topic: the feeling many women have of being undervalued and dissatisfied in relationships. The official release’s convenient timing to Women’s History Month reminds audiences of the importance of recognizing a woman’s agency in the bedroom and those who paved the way for safer feminine expression.
Roan’s song delivers another strong anthem while paying homage to her queer and country roots. Following the success of the single, fans speculated: what’s next? Although there have been no official announcements, “The Giver”’s official lyric video teased a menu with a few more unreleased songs — so who’s to say what’s next for the Midwest Princess?
