Chappell Roan Uses Grammy Speech To Call Out Record Labels For Taking Advantage Of Young Artists: “So Betrayed By The System”

Honestly, good for her.

This evening, pop sensation Chappell Roan took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, in addition to performing her hit “Pink Pony Club,” which I think is easily the best performance of the night so far. I don’t see how anyone’s gonna top it, and if Chappell has no more fans, I’m long gone… I love her.

Generally speaking, I really dislike modern pop, but she is an exception for me, along with Sabrina Carpenter, so I think her New Artist award was VERY well-deserved.

And while she seemed very thankful to be given this award, Chappell also took the chance to call out every single record label in the music industry, which was an extremely bold move for the young 26-year-old. Chappell told the audience that it’s long been a goal of hers to speak about healthcare, and young artists making a livable wage, in front of the most powerful executives in the industry:

“I told myself, if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off or artists, would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.

Because I got signed so young. 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.”

She added:

“It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have health [insurance].

And if my label would have prioritized artist health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to. 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?”

That takes courage… respect.

It’s no secret that big record labels can take advantage of young artists like Chappell alluded to. They can often wind up stuck in deals that take years to get out of, don’t pay fairly, and in some instances, you have artists who just scrape by, struggling to pay rent, or like she mentions, get basic health insurance. Of course, it’s much more difficult to get your foot in the door without a record label, so they definitely have the leverage at the negotiating table.

It’s an important issue to bring up, and is something that certainly happens in the country genre, as well. They’re certainly not exempt here, either…

I think it’s impressive she took her time in the spotlight to speak about this, and while it’s a complex issue and certainly not all record labels are bad actors, it’s one that probably deserves some more attention. Take a minute to watch here speech here, it’s worth it and one of the more meaningful things I’ve heard tonight:

Chappell Roan: “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?” https://t.co/CbojGLDvaP pic.twitter.com/JFC83pe15h

— Variety (@Variety) February 3, 2025

And her “Pink Pony Club” performance:

🎥| Chappell Roan’s full performance of “Pink Pony Club” tonight! pic.twitter.com/BlEqFgBzC5

— CRN (@ChappellRoanNow) February 3, 2025