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‘Fame is like going through puberty’: Chappell Roan on sexuality, superstardom and the joy of drag

She’s gone from obscurity to the A-list, but not without struggle. On the road in the UK, the singer talks teenage angst, her queer inspirations ... and why she hasn’t endorsed Kamala Harris

Aside from her loose, long red hair, Roan cuts a pale figure on my computer screen: her simple grey top is a world away from elaborate stage attire that has seen her dress as a wrestler, Lady Liberty and more. After moving to Los Angeles in 2018, she wrote a song with Daniel Nigro that felt like a gamechanger: Pink Pony Club, a sizzling cabaret dance-pop banger about her formative experiences visiting a drag bar in LA. Since Roan became a headline act, she’s invited local drag artists to support her (an idea suggested to her by queer masked country singer Orville Peck) and each show has its own theme.

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