Before she became a well-known pop music sensation, Chappell Roan was one of many hopeful singers whose dreams were dashed during auditions for shows like “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent.”
In a W Magazine cover story published Wednesday, April 30, Roan recounted her discouraging experiences auditioning for both shows as a teenager. She failed to advance beyond the first round in either competition. “When I auditioned for ‘The Voice,’ I was 15 and I sang ‘Stay’ by Rihanna,” she said. “The producer, or whoever was watching, didn’t even look up from his phone. He simply said, ‘OK, next."”
Roan added, “I went up there and sang a cappella, the scariest thing ever. He never really looked at me.”
Roan had previously auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” at age 13. “We flew to Austin, Texas, and waited in line with thousands of people at 4 a.m.,” she recalled. “I sang ‘True Colors’ by Cyndi Lauper. I didn’t make it through.”
The Missouri native’s breakthrough came more than a decade later, after experiencing further setbacks, including being dropped by Atlantic Records in 2020. In 2024, her career skyrocketed with successful festival performances and the hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” climbing to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September. She went on to win best new artist at the 2025 Grammy Awards in February.
During her Grammy acceptance speech, Roan urged the music industry to better support emerging artists, reading from her well-used notebook, “Labels, we got you – but do you got us?” She confirmed to W Magazine that the notebook was her actual diary, which she’s been keeping since middle school.
In the interview, Roan also discussed her first kiss at age 15 in her parents’ driveway, noting that “kissing girls is funner” now. She shared her biggest pet peeve: “When people name-drop,” said the artist, who recently confirmed she has a serious girlfriend. “I immediately don’t trust them.”
“I’m not the girl to care about that stuff,” she continued. “It’s an immediate turnoff in both romantic and friendship contexts. I’m like, ‘If you name-drop, I’m probably not going to be your friend."”
