Constructing Voice
In comparison to artists like Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan has not had a lot of time within her career to develop a distinct vocal style, considering she is a new artist who only released a single album. That being said, however, this thesis project focuses on one specific vocal element that Roan continually uses throughout many of her songs: her upper register. Chappell Roan seems to specifically calculate her upper register in many of her songs to create a brand image that allows listeners to quickly recognize her. While she does seem to use similar elements at moments throughout her discography (i.e. a speaking voice in “HOT TO GO!” or a frequent break in her voice to sound glitchy), Chappell Roan’s upper register is the most recurring element in her music.
Before getting into two case studies of Chappell Roan’s usage of upper register, a definition of the term feels necessary first. A vocal upper register is reflected through a singer’s higher voice, and it is often associated with a falsetto voice. This style of singing feels particularly notable within the work of Chappell Roan, and the two songs below highlight the significance of her usage of the vocal practice.
This section on Chappell Roan’s falsetto voice has been inspired by the work of scholar Fabio Cleto, who wrote an essay entitled “Queering the Camp.” In his work, Cleto references Kenneth Williams, famous British actor and comedian, in introducing the concept of camp. The scholar claims that Williams’ “allusive falsetto voice” defines the actors’ camp persona, which forms a potential connection between Chappell Roan’s falsetto and her camp style (Cleto 1). Falsetto has been recognized as an important vocal element of camp by Cleto, and this section rests upon this implication. Although male voices usually utilize the falsetto style, Chappell Roan’s upper register often feels similar to falsetto, making this link useful for this argument.
"Good Luck, Babe!"
Released in 2024, “Good Luck, Babe!” catapulted Chappell Roan into the superstardom that she now occupies (more regarding this is discussed in the “Constructing Social Media” section of this website). The song performed incredibly well on both the American and global charts; for example, it peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song uses many different elements that explain its hit status, but this section will focus exclusively on the vocal usage of her upper register.
In the song, Chappell Roan can be found using her upper register throughout the entire chorus, starting when she sings, “You can kiss a hundred boys in bars / Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling.” In this chorus, Roan’s higher voice feels particularly noticeable due to its contrast with the verses of the song. The artist uses her low chest voice to sing the verses preceding the chorus, which makes her upper register feel more jarring and noticeable to her listeners. With this contrast created by Roan, her high voice showcases the ironic, random, and theatrical nature of camp. Thus, “Good Luck, Babe!” helps situate and define Chappell Roan as a camp artist, which is helpful in establishing a brand identity early in her career with her first major hit single.
"Pink Pony Club"
Released on April 3, 2020 as a standalone single, “Pink Pony Club” was added to Chappell Roan’s 2023 debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Initially receiving negative audience reception according to Roan’s interview with Capital FM, the song became a sleeper hit and eventually peaked at number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2024. The song is a further example of Roan’s usage of an upper register to build brand recognition.
“Pink Pony Club” and its usage of Chappell Roan’s high voice is quite similar to “Good Luck, Babe!” and its song structure. Roan’s upper register becomes apparent during the chorus, when the artist sings, “God, what have you done? / You’re a pink pony girl / and you dance at the club.” This voice in the chorus is contrasted by the previous verse, in which Roan sings in her lower register. The same form of irony and theatricality is created with the artists’ high voice, which forms a camp style within the song.
"Red Wine Supernova"
Chappell Roan released “Red Wine Supernova” on May 19, 2023, and the song was added to her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in a similar fashion to “Pink Pony Club.” When talking about the song to Flood Magazine, Roan claimed that she needed a “campy gay girl song”—but how does she showcase this camp to build brand recognizability? Her upper register.
Clearly a trend within her music, “Red Wine Supernova” follows in the footsteps of “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Pink Pony Club” in Chappell Roan using her higher voice exclusively in the chorus of the song, which contrasts with her lower register in the verses. In the chorus, Roan sings, “Baby, why don’t you come over / Red wine supernova, falling into me.” This voice reflects camp in the same way as the other songs, where both the higher notes and the contrast with her lower register feels theatrical and ironic.