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The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (commonly referred to as just Midwest Princess) is the debut studio album by Chappell Roan. It was released September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records and Island Records. Roan wrote the album alongside Dan Nigro beginning in 2020. The album received positive reviews from critics, who acclaimed its pop sound.
Background[]
Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project that she later admitted she "hated". In 2020, Roan started working with Nigro, releasing the album's first single, "Pink Pony Club", in April of that year. Atlantic Records had said "no" to the song "for a year", before she was dropped by them later in 2020.
In addition to breaking up with her boyfriend of over four years and the COVID-19 pandemic; which influenced some of the lyrics on the album, Roan moved back to her home state of Missouri. She worked jobs to save money to move back to Los Angeles, at which point she resumed working with Nigro, and signed to his imprint of Island Records, Amusement Records.[1]
Critical Reception[]
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".[2]
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".[3]
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".[4]
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".[5]
Robert Moran of The Sydney Morning Herald described it as "pop at its most fun and life-affirming".[6]
Accolades[]
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was included in several best-albums-of-2023 year-end lists, ranking notably in those by The A.V. Club (2nd),[7] TIME (4th),[8] Nylon (8th),[9] Dork (11th),[10] Rolling Stone (12th),[11] Billboard (13th),[12] The Skinny (19th),[13] Uproxx (1 of 74 unranked albums),[14] Alternative Press (1 of 50 unranked albums),[15] and Vogue (1 of 27 unranked albums).[16] It was also listed as one of Pitchfork's 22 Best Pop Albums of 2023[17] and was named Pop Buzz's Number One Album of 2023.[18]
Singles[]
- The lead single, "Pink Pony Club", was released on April 3, 2020. The track was accompanied by a music video.
- The second single, "California", was released a month later on May 29, 2020.
- The third single, "Naked In Manhattan", was released two years later on February 18, 2022. The song's music video premiered the same day.
- The fourth single, "My Kink Is Karma", was released on May 6, 2022. A music video premiered on May 13.
- The fifth single, "Femininomenon", was released on August 12, 2022.
- The sixth single, "Casual", was released on October 28, 2022. A music video premiered on March 9, 2023.
- The seventh single, "Kaleidoscope", was released on March 31, 2023.
- The eighth single, "Red Wine Supernova" was released on May 19, 2023. A video called the "Magician's Cut" was released on June 15.
- The ninth single, "HOT TO GO!", was released on August 11, 2023, along with a music video.
Track listing[]
TIDAL Reissue[]
Outtakes[]
During the production of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Roan recorded numerous songs that did not make the final track listing.
- "Cowboy" - recorded during the album sessions. Alleged to be planned for a future release, possibly on Roan's second studio album.
- "Gay (The Man of Their Dreams)" - performed on a TikTok video uploaded by Roan.
- "Hey You" - intended for this album, but was later sold and released by Blu De Tiger.
- "Like Me Now" - Registered on the Broadcast Music Inc's database.
- "Love Me Anyway" - intended as the second single and to be included on the album, however, Chappell said in an interview with Capital Buzz[19], that she felt the song didn't fit with the themes and concept of the project, like other songs that got scrapped.
- "Red Eye" - intended for this album, but was later sold and released by ggwendolyn.
- "Vultures" - registered on the Broadcast Music Inc's database.
- "WTF Buttercup" - uploaded to Soundcloud during a TikTok livestream.
- "Your Muse" - uploaded to Soundcloud during a TikTok livestream.
- "Works" - recorded during the album sessions.
Gallery[]
To view the The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess gallery, click here. |
Physical Releases[]
Charts[]
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 11 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] | 3 |
| Irish Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 22 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[23] | 2 |
Personnel[]
Musicians[]
- Kayleigh Amstutz – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14)
- Daniel 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)
Award Nominations[]
- 2025 Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Vocal Album"
- 2025 American Music Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Favorite Pop Album"
Trivia[]
- Roan said that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept [her] queerness".[24]
- In 2021, Roan originally had plans to release an EP, titled Midwest Princess, likely containing all or most of the singles released during that time. However, plans were changed to make the project a full-length album.
- In a 2024 interview, Roan revealed that the album was initially going to be named after track 1; “Femininomenon”, but due to the confusing spelling of the name, she decided against it.[25]
- The album was also originally titled Midwest Princess, though the title was later revised to include "The Rise and Fall" in the beginning.
References[]
- ↑ Confessions of a 'Midwest Princess': How Chappell Roan's Debut Album Arose From the 'Deep Pits of Hell' to Become a 'Dream Come True'.
- ↑ Chappell Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess Album Review.
- ↑ Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess review.
- ↑ Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess review: unabashedly fun anthems.
- ↑ Chappell Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
- ↑ Dropped by her label, she's now made the funnest (and queerest) pop album of the year.
- ↑ The 27 best albums of 2023 (2023-12-13).
- ↑ The 10 Best Albums of 2023 (2023-12-05).
- ↑ NYLON's Top Albums Of 2023 (2023-12-20).
- ↑ Dork (2023-12-18). Dork's Top 50 Albums of 2023: 50-41.
- ↑ The 100 Best Albums of 2023 (2023-11-30).
- ↑ Glicksman, Josh (2023-12-06). The 50 Best Albums of 2023: Staff List.
- ↑ The Skinny's Albums of 2023.
- ↑ These Are The Best Albums Of 2023 (2023-12-04).
- ↑ Schade, Anna Zanes, Neville, Alessandra (2023-12-12). 50 best albums of 2023.
- ↑ The Best Albums of 2023 (2023-10-23).
- ↑ The Best Pop Music of 2023 (2023-12-12).
- ↑ The best albums of 2023.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF96UOuIHw0
- ↑ ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association (May 27, 2024).
- ↑ Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of May 25, 2024.
- ↑ NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ (May 20, 2024).
- ↑ Billboard 200: Week of May 11, 2024.
- ↑ How Chappell Roan Found 'Complete Freedom and Euphoria' Making Her Debut Album.
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/episode/4oPOqAUPgzmxvVITSDJJQQ?si=wYypfErrTKqUfupYpwSGqA&t=343
| The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | |
|---|---|
| Songs Femininomenon • Red Wine Supernova • After Midnight • Coffee • Casual • Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl • HOT TO GO! • My Kink Is Karma • Picture You • Kaleidoscope • Pink Pony Club • Naked In Manhattan • California • Guilty Pleasure (September 22, 2023 • 49:08 • Amusement Records) Tour The Midwest Princess Tour |