How many performances will be enough to satisfy obsessed fans?
Breakout pop star, Chappell Roan is facing the reality that her so-called fans believe she owes them for her success. No matter how many albums, performances, or posts she makes, Roan continues to face backlash that she owes her fans more. How much time do celebrities owe their fans?
Roan released her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” in Sept. 2023. It wasn’t until her festival tour this summer that her hit song “HOT TO GO” started climbing the charts, leading her to go viral on TikTok. Roan’s crowds rapidly grew, her venues were upgraded, and the internet could not get enough of the star.
Rapid fame for Roan also meant an immense amount of people ready to follow her every move. Fan accounts started popping up on social media. For those who have never ventured over to the fandom side of X, fans take defending their favorites seriously. To say “I stan Chapell Roan” is to say “I am ready to defend her.” It is not uncommon for fans, especially on the internet, to conclude that their favorite artists owe them something.
It is easiest to understand fan bases when they are in action. Look to the crowds of “Swifties” showing up to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. In the tour’s first year alone 4.35 million tickets were sold. Another example is how fans banded together after former “One Direction” member Liam Payne passed away. They held vigils for Payne and formed support groups on social media for each other. These days, fan bases can be compared to mobs of people willing to do anything it takes to support their idol.
Social media has not only given celebrities platforms to connect with their fans, but it has also given fans a platform to voice their opinions. Social media allows fans to say anything they want about celebrities with minimal repercussions. Many fans assume that their tweets won’t be seen by celebrities, creating an assumption that anything can be said with no harm done.
It is easy for fans to track down celebrities in public with the use of social media. Just last year, fans crowded singer and producer Jack Antonoff’s wedding because Swift had been spotted walking inside. This behavior comes from the idea that celebrities are famous because fans support them. The least they could do is take time out of her day to say “Hello” … Right? Unfortunately for many obsessed fans, Roan disagrees.
Roan is not the only celebrity with fans expecting time. In his new album “CHROMAKOPIA,” Tyler, The Creator mentions how fame has taken away his privacy. In “Noid” Tyler explicitly states that he feels uncomfortable with aspects of fame “Privacy? Huh, yeah right, I got a better shot in the NBA.” Fans streamed “Noid” 10.5 million times in its first Billboard tracking week, earning it the nineth spot on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
This past August, Roan took to TikTok to express discomfort with fans approaching her in public. Roan said that her fans do not know her: “I’m a random bitch.” Roan’s statement is targeted at the problem with obsession in fandoms: her fans only know her when she is performing, they do not know her as a person. When did enjoying an artist’s work turn into thinking we know them as people? I agree with Roan that it is not normal to expect a stranger to give us their time, so why would we expect her to?
The response to Roan’s statement was shocking. Many social media users started conversations about the implications of Roan speaking out. To many, it was shocking to see a celebrity explicitly stating boundaries with fans. To some, it appeared as if Roan was declining her devoted fans who are just being supportive of something they were owed. I was shocked that so many people believed she was wrong. Many social media profiles still believed that Roan owed them her time. Yet, Roan’s job is giving fans her time. Roan performs at festivals, went on tour, and released new music this year. Roan might be an entertainer, but she is still human. Expecting her to entertain 24/7 is taking away from her life as a normal person.
Many X users shared their opinions: “The thing about Chappell Roan that bugs me is that she is pretending like nothing is supposed to change when her level of fame changes,” one user argued, as celebrities have faced less privacy over the years. Maybe we should be asking ourselves if we as fans are cut out to have celebrities. Why does fandom culture encourage us to obsess over our favorites instead of listening to their boundaries? Why can’t Roan entertain on stage, and live a private life offstage? Another X user took to the platform to challenge fans instead of Roan, “‘Chappell Roan isn’t ready for fame’ except she’s just setting her boundaries so perhaps Y’ALL aren’t ready to be fans,” the user claimed.
Roan has a job. Her job is to make music and perform. These things are available to her fans. Yet for the modern-day fandom, they are not enough. Even if you are not going on a search party to find Roan’s location, I challenge you to think about how you view celebrities. Celebrities are people themselves, and the fact that some fans need this reminder shows just how obsessed fandoms have gotten.
Despite many concerns that the pressure would be too much for Roan, Roan is moving forward by teasing a new project in an Instagram caption. With Roan possibly planning her first album release under the spotlight, it is time for society to think about how we treat our idols. Roan and other celebrities deserve to live their lives away from the eyes of fans. It is time for fans on social media to recognize that fan entitlement has been made up by social media, not given to celebrities who wish to be successful. No one deserves to be Roan’s friend just because they streamed her music. It is time for us to understand the difference between being a fan and being a friend.
