Chappell Roan released “Femininomenon” on August 12, 2022, but the song later got added to her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in 2023. The song utilizes both acoustic sounds and electronic sounds, which seems to represent Chappell Roan’s brand image holistically. 

“Femininomenon” begins with strings and piano in the instrumentation, with a slower tempo. Yet, around 0:50 in the pre-chorus of the song, a synthesizer enters the track, which is later followed by an intense drum beat. The synthesizer and drum beat persist throughout the rest of the song, with the exception of the bridge when piano is prominently featured again. Roan’s use of mainly acoustic instruments in the beginning of “Femininomenon” showcases her intimate soundscape that exists in many of her songs, but the introduction of a dance synthesizer and drum beat highlights how she negotiates this intimate soundscape with a more extravagant one. 

As an opener of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, “Femininomenon” seems to perfectly encapsulate how Chappell Roan wishes to brand herself on her debut album. Songs like “Casual” and “Picture You,” as discussed in the below drop-down buttons, mirror the beginning of “Feminomenon,” with its acoustic instrumentation that makes listeners feel like Roan is singing right next to them. Yet, the chorus of the track mirrors other songs like “Naked in Manhattan,” where Roan’s use of an electronic soundscape transports listeners into a large dance club. With both of these in mind, “Femininomenon” fits within the context of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest, especially as an opener song to introduce consumers to Chappell Roan.

As a result of the sonic production of “Femininomenon,” Chappell Roan succeeds in constructing a brand image that utilizes both intimate and extravagant soundscapes. Plus, not only does the dancefloor soundscapes in the song seem to use the exaggerated aspects of camp, but the dramatic shift from acoustic to electronic instrumentals further seems to demonstrate elements of the style. Thus, as proved by “Femininomenon,” Chappell Roan specifically constructs her sonic production to negotiate intimacy and theatricality, which allows her to create a campy brand image that could be sold to listeners. 

Chappell Roan released “Casual” on October 28, 2022, and the artist later added the song to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in 2023. The song uses acoustic sounds, highlighting how Chappell Roan “see[s] sincere, unmediated expression of inner experience as essential” to her, often romantic, music.

“Casual” begins with an electronic, pulsing synthesizer. A slow drum beat slowly gets introduced after the synthesizer repeats, and Roan’s reverberated vocals then follow this beat. Along with an eventual guitar, these instruments form the entirety of the song. While the instrumentals may not necessarily be acoustically-based, the slow, reverberated nature of all of the instruments, including Roan’s voice, provide the song with a sort of intimate feel. The reverberation of all of the instruments and vocals transforms the track into an immersive space that makes listeners feel like they are up-close to Roan. Many music production websites, including BassGorilla, encourage producers to use reverb to create intimate, immersive spaces, making Roan’s use of the effect in “Casual” feel intentional.

With the sonic environment created in “Casual,” Roan seems to have intentionally crafted an immersive, intimate space to make the listener feel like she is performing right in front of them. The song fits well with the other acoustic songs on the album, such as “Coffee” or “Picture You,” which hints that Roan may be trying to strive for a romantic brand image in the eyes of Keir Keightley.

As a result, Chappell Roan’s use of slower, reverbated instrumentals and vocals make for a certain level of sincerity that helps brand the artist as relatable. With a lack of Sontag’s necessity of playfulness and exaggeration, the instrumentals of “Casual” may not necessarily highlight the camp persona that Roan so often seems to convey. Even all the while, though, “Casual” still highlights how Chappell Roan meticulously calculates her brand to often feature intimacy and relatability through her immersive production. 

“Naked in Manhattan” was released on February 18, 2022, but the song was later added to Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. The song is notable for its electronic and innovative style of production, following Keir Keightley’s framework for what a modernist song involves. 

Right upon pressing play on “Naked in Manhattan,” a shimmering electronic synthesizer pierces the track. This electronic synthesizer turns into a repetitive melody that guides the rest of the track, with a drum beat and Roan’s voice then following. Both the electronic synthesizer and the upbeat drum beat makes the song feel lively and gives the song a club-like feel, transporting the listener onto the dancefloor.

In the context of the rest of the album, “Naked in Manhattan” fits with the other upbeat, electronic songs, like “Red Wine Supernova” or “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” With these songs, Chappell Roan seems to strive to create electronic songs that make listeners feel as if they’re dancing in a club. These types of songs imply that Chappell Roan aligns well with Keir Keightley’s framework of a modernist song, meaning that “Naked in Manhattan” and other songs use the experimentation and innovative side of music-making. All in the meantime, however, she negotiates these types of songs with slower, acoustic ones, like “Casual” and “Coffee.” Thus, through The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Roan seems to negotiate between a club-like immersive environment and an intimate one. 

As a result, Chappell Roan’s use of electronic synthesizers and an upbeat programmed drum allow her to convey a sort of modernist brand image. Through playing with electronic instruments, Roan articulates a sense of artifice and exaggeration, which fits into Susan Sontag and Jack Babuscio’s framework of camp. Thus, Chappell Roan builds a sort of modernist and camp brand image, which is often negotiated with an intimate soundscape in other songs, that transforms her into a consumer product. 

Chappell Roan released “Picture You” alongside her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. The song is notable for its minimal instrumentation, with only an acoustic guitar and a drum beat being prominently featured on the track. The song mirrors Keir Keightley’s framework for romantic music, with its genuine and sincere tone in its immersive soundscape.

“Picture You” begins with violins, an acoustic guitar, and a waltz-like drum beat. The acoustic guitar repeats the same melody throughout the duration of the track, and the waltz beat additionally remains. Thus, minimal instrumentation is used in “Picture You,” which gives the song a more intimate atmosphere and soundscape. The instruments are slightly reverberated, which further enhances the closeness of the song’s listening environment. 

In comparison to the other songs on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, “Picture You” fits well within the ballad portion, with songs like “Casual” and “Coffee.” The song’s use of acoustic, minimalist instrumentation creates a vivid, immersive soundscape that makes listeners feel like they’re right next to the artist, which is similar to many other songs on the album. Further, the song’s musical composition aligns with romanticism according to Keir Keightley’s framework, meaning that the song’s minimal and acoustic instrumentation makes it sound more ‘natural’ and sincere. 

In sum, “Picture You” highlights how Chappell Roan establishes and constructs a specific brand image through her instrumentals that feel romantic according to Keir Keightley’s standards. Although this instrumentation may not feel camp—it lacks any exaggeration, artificiality, or theatricality according to Sontag and Babuscio’s framework—the song hints that Roan strives to build a brand through negotiating romanticism with camp in other songs. This specific construction of her brand image transforms Roan into a consumer product that could be recognizable and sold to many different audiences.