Grammys 2025: Chappell Roan makes defiant winners speech
After winning the award for ‘Best New Artist’ at the 2025 Grammys, pop sensation Chappell Roan made a powerful acceptance speech that called for major reform in the music industry.
The singer, who also delivered a spellbinding performance of her single ‘Pink Pony Club’ at the awards ceremony, used her platform to make a number of demands levelled at industry executives, urging that “labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”
It comes after Roan announced in December that if she won an award at the prestigious event, she would make a “controversial” acceptance speech, and she had promised to herself that she would “stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music” in order to make her defiant statement.
While she paid tribute to Charli XCX, who was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ for her album, Brat, alongside six other nominations, Roan took to the stage to receive her award, and recounted her tough experiences as a small artist in the industry and how current infrastructure does little to support those who aren’t privileged enough to fend for themselves.
In her speech, Roan said: “I got signed as a minor, and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic, and could not afford health insurance. It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system, and so dehumanised to not have health [insurance]. And if my label would have prioritised artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.”
She concluded: “So, record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels: We got you, but do you got us?”
Roan has previously been praised for how she has spoken out in interviews and on social media about the difficulties of navigating her sudden rise in fame, and has called out fans for their inappropriate behaviour towards artists, and cancelled shows to preserve her own mental wellbeing.
Roan beat competition from the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii and Khruangbin to win Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys. Watch her full acceptance speech below.
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