Maggie Rogers’s Journey from Viral Fame to Religious Studies

METALABEL: You made a short video for the album that has a line I can’t stop thinking about: “Sometimes it feels like your house is a store and your life is a job.” Can you talk about that feeling?

CLAIRE : It's something we talk about a lot. The more you notice it in the world around you, the more real it feels. It speaks to the fact that as indiv... See more

To understand how we got here, it’s important to know Roan’s perilous journey, encompassing all big three major labels. Born in Missouri and raised in a conservative Christian household, she was signed to Warner’s Atlantic Records and positioned as the next Lorde after a video of her 2017 single “Die Young” went viral, and moved to L.A. to pursue h... See more

She also intentionally dictates how her community should engage—for example, by suggesting “themes” for different tour dates to bring the fanbase together. She both expresses herself and pulls self-expression out of her fans.

Chappell Roan is one of the most interesting new celebrities to study because she embodies so much of what the younger gener... See more

Some commenters scoffed at the sight of celebrities carping about the work of being famous. But these artists have hardly been lazy or reluctant to play the music business’s games. Each of them is known for elaborate music videos, spectacular stage productions, and otherworldly fashion. They’ve hustled, for all of their careers, to seem larger than... See more