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The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

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The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Studio album by
Chappell Roan
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2023 (2023-09-22)
Recorded2018–2023
Genre
Length49:08
Label
Producer
Chappell Roan chronology
School Nights
(2017) 		The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
(2023)
Singles from The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  1. "Pink Pony Club"
    Released: April 3, 2020
  2. "California"
    Released: May 29, 2020
  3. "Naked in Manhattan"
    Released: February 18, 2022
  4. "My Kink Is Karma"
    Released: May 6, 2022
  5. "Femininomenon"
    Released: August 12, 2022
  6. "Casual"
    Released: October 28, 2022
  7. "Kaleidoscope"
    Released: March 31, 2023
  8. "Red Wine Supernova"
    Released: May 19, 2023
  9. "Hot to Go!"
    Released: August 11, 2023

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan. The album was released on September 22, 2023 through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records. Primarily a pop record, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess also contains elements of synth-pop, pop rock, new wave, folk-pop, rock, dance-pop, country, and disco.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was met with widespread acclaim and praised by music critics for its bold and emotionally charged nature. Reviews also complimented the album's engaging blend of sharp songwriting, dynamic pop elements, and Roan's vocal performance. Several publications ranked it on multiple year-end best albums lists for 2023. The album earned Roan her first Grammy Award nominations at the 67th annual ceremony, including for Album of the Year. She is one of only fifteen artists in history who have earned Grammy nominations in all of the "Big Four" categories in one night.[citation needed]

Roan promoted the album by headlining the Midwest Princess Tour in 2023 and 2024, along with appearances on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[1]

Background and recording

[edit]

Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project.[2] In 2018, Roan started working with Dan Nigro, owner of the Amusement imprint, eventually releasing the album's first single, "Pink Pony Club", in April 2020 after Atlantic Records rejected the song. Roan ultimately was dropped by Atlantic 4 months later for having "underperforming" music.[3] Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri where she worked to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro, and signed to his Island Records imprint Amusement.[4] The album is inspired by Roan's experience leaving her hometown in Missouri for Los Angeles to pursue a career as a singer. During her journey of self-discovery, Roan navigated love, heartbreak, and embraced her sexual identity – themes that would become central to the record.[5] Roan has stated that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept [her] queerness".[6]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[7]
Metacritic85/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
And It Don't StopA[10]
DIY[11]
Dork[12]
Exclaim!7/10[13]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[14]
NME[15]
Paste8.4/10[16]
Pitchfork7.2/10[17]

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess received critical acclaim upon release.[18][19] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. Olivia Horn of Pitchfork called the album "a bold and uproarious introduction, buoyed by sturdy songcraft and steely indifference to good taste", also writing that Roan is "blessed with a powerful and versatile voice".[17] Otis Robinson of DIY summarized it as "thoughtful, a little unhinged and entirely contradictory, merging the alt-pop seriousness of Lana Del Rey with the untethered preppy charm of Lorde to go full throttle into messy, emotional fun".[11]

NME's Hannah Mylrea dubbed it a "bratty, wacky record of huge pop bangers" as well as an "album that combines Roan's electrifying pop stylings with her funny, irresistible songwriting".[15] Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit opined that Roan "is a blazing tour-de-force on her debut album. She tackles every corner of human sexuality, psychology, desire, and lust, all on some of the hookiest choruses of this year".[14] Robert Moran of The Sydney Morning Herald described it as "pop at its most fun and life-affirming".[20]

Accolades

[edit]

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was included in several best-albums-of-2023 year-end lists, being ranked in those by The A.V. Club (2nd),[21] TIME (4th),[22] Nylon (8th),[23] Dork (11th),[24] Rolling Stone (12th),[25] Billboard (13th),[26] The Skinny (19th),[27] Uproxx (1 of 74 unranked albums),[28] Alternative Press (1 of 50 unranked albums),[29] and Vogue (1 of 27 unranked albums).[30] It was also listed as one of Pitchfork's 22 Best Pop Albums of 2023[31] and was named Pop Buzz's Number One Album of 2023.[32]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Although not an immediate commercial success, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess garnered a cult following in the months after its release and became regarded as a "sleeper hit" by early 2024. The album's commercial breakthrough was largely influenced by Roan's supporting act on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour, her performances at music festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and the success of her follow-up single, "Good Luck, Babe!". By June 2024, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess had climbed the charts, peaking at number one in Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, plus within the top five of the US Billboard 200. Subsequently, several of its singles ("My Kink Is Karma", "Femininomenon", "Casual", "Pink Pony Club", "Red Wine Supernova", and "Hot to Go!") entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since their release.[33]

Accolades

[edit]
Awards and nominations for The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
ARIA Music Awards 2024 Best International Artist Nominated [34]
Danish Music Awards 2024 International Album of the Year Pending [35]
GoldDerby Music Awards 2024 Album of the Year Pending [36]
Best Pop Album Pending
Grammy Awards 2025 Album of the Year Pending [37]
Best Pop Vocal Album Pending

Track listing

[edit]
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Femininomenon"
3:39
2."Red Wine Supernova"
  • Amstutz
  • Lisa Hickox
  • Amy Kuney
  • Nigro
  • Annie Schindel
3:12
3."After Midnight"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
  • Casey Smith
Nigro3:24
4."Coffee"
  • Amstutz
  • Maya Kurchner
  • Eric Leva
  • Nigro
Nigro3:25
5."Casual"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
  • Morgan St. Jean
  • Nigro
  • Ryan Linvill
3:52
6."Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl"
  • Amstutz
  • Annika Bennett
  • Nigro
  • Jonah Shy
  • Wise
  • Nigro
  • Wise
  • Shy[a]
3:03
7."Hot to Go!"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
Nigro3:04
8."My Kink Is Karma"
Nigro3:42
9."Picture You"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
Nigro3:07
10."Kaleidoscope"AmstutzNigro3:42
11."Pink Pony Club"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
Nigro4:18
12."Naked in Manhattan"
Nigro3:31
13."California"
  • Amstutz
  • Nigro
Nigro3:18
14."Guilty Pleasure"
  • Amstutz
  • Marcus Andersson
  • Nate Campany
  • Nigro
Nigro3:44
Total length:49:08

Note

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • Kayleigh Amstutz – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14)
  • Dan Nigro – background vocals (1–7, 9, 14), bass guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 12), guitar (1–3, 6, 8, 9), programming (1), drum programming (2, 7, 9, 14), acoustic guitar (4, 9, 14), piano (4, 10), keyboards (6, 13), drums (9, 14), Mellotron (10)
  • Emily Williams – background vocals (1)
  • Mike Wise – programming (1), keyboards (6)
  • Paul Cartwright – strings (1); viola, violin (9, 10, 13)
  • Cara Salimando – background vocals (2)
  • Giana Shabestari – background vocals (2)
  • Sterling Laws – drums (3, 6, 7, 13)
  • Jared Solomon – bass guitar (3)
  • Sam Stewart – guitar (4, 7, 11)
  • Ryan Linvill – flute (4), bass guitar (8), drum programming (9, 12), saxophone (9), programming (11), horn arrangement (13)
  • Arianna Powell – acoustic guitar (4)
  • Kate Brady – background vocals (11)
  • Benjamin Romans – piano (11)
  • Danny Ward – French horn (13)
  • Erick Serna – guitar (13)
  • Ido Meshulam – trombone (13)
  • Austin Drake – trumpet (13)
  • Julian Dessler – trumpet (13)

Technical

  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing (1, 4, 7, 11–13)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (2, 3, 6, 8)
  • Michael Coleman – mixing (5)
  • Nathan Phillips – mixing (9)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (10)
  • Geoff Swan – mixing (14)
  • Daniel Nigro – engineering
  • Mike Wise – engineering (1)
  • Noah Conrad – engineering (2)
  • Chris Kasych – engineering (4)
  • Ryan Linvill – engineering (5, 9)
  • Jonah Shy – engineering (6)
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering (3, 8), mixing assistance (2, 6)
  • Austen Healey – engineering assistance (2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 14)

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[38] 3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[39] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[41] 15
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[42] 3
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[43] 2
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[44] 26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[45] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[46] 19
French Albums (SNEP)[47] 124
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[48] 10
Greek Albums (IFPI)[49] 50
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[50] 40
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[51] 13
Irish Albums (OCC)[52] 1
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[53] 24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[54] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[55] 18
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[56] 51
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[57] 9
Scottish Albums (OCC)[58] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[59] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[60] 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[61] 16
UK Albums (OCC)[62] 1
US Billboard 200[63] 2

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[64] Platinum 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Platinum 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] Gold 141,757[66]
United States (RIAA)[68] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ "The Rise of Chappell Roan: Queer Pop's Midwestern Princess". MARIST CIRCLE. May 2, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Why was Chappell Roan dropped by her record label?". Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Shafer, Ellise (September 22, 2023). "Confessions of a 'Midwest Princess': How Chappell Roan's Debut Album Arose From the 'Deep Pits of Hell' to Become a 'Dream Come True'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Daw, Stephen (December 20, 2022). "Chappell Roan's Big Year: How the DIY Indie-Pop Star 'Casual'-ly Thrived in Her Post-Label Era". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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  7. ^ "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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  9. ^ Yeung, Neil (September 22, 2023). "Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (August 14, 2024). "Christgau's Consumer Guide: August, 2024". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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  13. ^ Gormely, Ian (September 19, 2023). "Chappell Roan Gets Hot, Heavy and Heartbroken on 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Franzini, Sam (September 21, 2023). "Chappell Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – big pop smashes lead the way | Pop". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Mylrea, Hannah (September 22, 2023). "Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess review: unabashedly fun anthems". NME. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
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  68. ^ "American album certifications – Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess". Recording Industry Association of America. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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