Chappell Roan took home the coveted Best New Artist award at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, following the massive success of her debut album and breakout single “Good Luck, Babe!” But she wasn’t about to let the moment pass without making a statement.
Roan, known for her theatrical performances and unapologetic authenticity, stood before a crowd of industry heavyweights and delivered a message that cut through the glitz and glamour, resonating far beyond the awards ceremony. Using her platform, the “Pink Pony Club” singer called out record labels in her powerful Grammy acceptance speech for failing to provide artists—especially those just starting out—with a livable wage and healthcare.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand 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 in her speech, highlighting an issue that has long plagued the music industry—one that even Grammy-nominated artists struggle with.
As the 26-year-old singer-songwriter stood on stage, she reflected on her own rocky journey: signing with Atlantic Records as a teenager, only to be dropped years later, leaving her struggling to find employment and healthcare. This forced to return to Missouri and take a drive-thru job to make ends meet.
“I got signed so young, I got signed as a minor. And when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and 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 health [insurance]. 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?” Roan declared.
Her words struck a chord. As Roan spoke, fellow nominee Benson Boone jumped to his feet in support, and Taylor Swift, already standing for Roan’s win, remained upright, visibly moved. The room erupted in applause, and social media lit up with praise for the singer’s bold stance. “Chappell just won Best New Artist and is reading for filth her former label & the entire music industry for exploiting developing musicians, not providing a sustainable living and healthcare, and all the artists are standing up with her,” one fan tweeted.
Another wrote, “Chappell Roan dedicating her acceptance speech to the fight for fair treatment, healthcare, and accountability from big labels to protect the next generation of new artists is why I’m so happy for her. She’s not only talented but a great person.”
Chappell Roan’s speech put a spotlight on an issue that many artists, even those considered established with millions of streams under their belt, continue to face. Despite the industry’s outward displays of success, making a sustainable living in music remains a tough challenge in today’s music landscape, where artists face a complex web of bureaucratic, strategic, and financial hurdles to making a living.
The eye-watering upfront expenses of touring, producing records, and countless unpaid hours spent self-promoting on social media often outweigh their earnings, only to see minimal returns from streaming platforms that pay mere fractions of a cent per stream. Many independent and even signed musicians find themselves stuck in a cycle of financial instability, where revenue from live shows, brand deals, and merchandising is essential to survival. Even major-label artists can struggle under restrictive contracts, where record labels take the lion’s share of earnings while leaving musicians to shoulder significant expenses.
Chappell Roan isn’t the only artist speaking out on these issues. Her words echoed those of fellow Best New Artist nominee Raye, who has also spoken out about the financial struggles of independent musicians. After parting ways with Polydor Records in 2021, Raye chose to go independent, a move that gave her creative freedom but also heightened financial risks. She revealed that she was still “breaking even” despite a meteoric rise in popularity, explaining that musicians are faced with unseen expenses at every turn, especially those who forgo the major-label system.
“You’re getting paid X to do Coachella, and then you spend double the amount you got paid to do the show on the show itself because you want to do a great show,” Raye explained in an interview. “And you have to pay musicians, and the singers, and everyone what they deserve.” Like Roan, Raye had clashed with her former label, publicly pleading to be released from her contract before finally putting out her debut independent album, My 21st Century Blues, in 2023.
After parting her ways, Chappell Roan found her breakthrough through a TikTok route, as she built a dedicated audience on TikTok during the pandemic, skillfully leveraging her growing fan base to sign with Daniel Nigro’s Amusement Records. This collaboration culminated in the release of her acclaimed debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in 2023. The album soared to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, trailing only Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year—solidifying Chappell Roan as one of pop’s most captivating rising stars.
But as her Grammy speech made clear, success doesn’t erase the struggles artists face behind the scenes. With her impassioned words, Roan put the industry on notice: if labels want artists to continue fueling their billion-dollar empires, they need to start treating them as valuable employees—with fair wages and benefits. Though Roan was nominated for six Grammy Awards, she walked away with just one. But in using her moment to advocate for artist rights, she made it count.
The full list of winners from the 67th Annual Grammy Awards can be found here.