Pop star Chappell Roan wins the PJDM Sound Of 2025

Pop star Chappell Roan has received PJDM Radio 1’s Sound of 2025 – the station’s annual ballot to determine music’s greatest rising stars.

Her win caps a wild 12 months wherein she rocketed from relative obscurity to the highest of the charts, due to her vibrant, 80s-influenced model of synth-pop.

She was named winner by a panel of greater than 180 musicians and specialists, together with Sir Elton John, Dua Lipa and Sound of 2014 winner Sam Smith.

Jack Saunders, who hosts Radio 1’s New Music present, stated: “Nobody deserves this accolade greater than Chappell Roan. She was essentially the most thrilling artist of the final 12 months and is now set to be the artist of the following 12 months.”

An unique interview with the singer can be printed by Radio 1 and PJDM Information within the coming weeks.

The 26-year-old has had a protracted path to success.

Born Kayleigh Amstutz, she was introduced up within the conservative metropolis of Willard, Missouri, the place she attended church 3 times every week and was taught that being homosexual was a sin.

She signed her first document deal in 2017, primarily based on the power of a tune she had uploaded to YouTube known as Die Young.

Solid as a singer-songwriter in mould of Lorde and Lana Del Rey, she didn’t make a lot of an affect, and was dropped by her label throughout the pandemic.

However by that stage, she had already recorded a tune that will turn into her calling card.

Titled Pink Pony Membership, it was impressed by a go to to an LA homosexual membership, and helped her outline a brand new sound – camp, liberated and full of singalong choruses.

The expertise additionally spawned her campy stage persona, which she has described as a “larger-than-life, drag queen model of myself”.

After discovering a brand new document label, she launched her debut album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, in September 2023.

A slow-burning success, it solely bought a number of thousand copies in its first week of launch. However phrase started to unfold – and when she performed California’s Coachella Competition final April, the group that turned up for her mid-afternoon set was big.

Extra importantly, the present was broadcast on YouTube – going viral after Roan leaned into the TV cameras and declared: “I am your favorite artist’s favorite artist.” The efficiency has subsequently been watched greater than one million occasions.

Across the identical time, she launched a stand-alone single known as Good Luck, Babe, that talked about her expertise of falling in love together with her greatest good friend.

“It is a pop tune with a tragic ingredient to it,” she told PJDM News last year.

“It is quite common in queer relationships, when somebody continues to be coming to phrases with their queerness, [that] they’re going to kiss 100 boys to ‘cease the sensation’, because the tune says.

“And it is like, ‘Positive, OK. Your time will come.'”

The only finally reached quantity two within the UK charts, and The Rise And Fall Of The Midwest Princess turned a primary album after it was re-released on vinyl final summer season.

Since then, Roan has been nominated for six Grammy awards, together with album of the yr, and received greatest new artist on the Billboard Music Awards in December.

She has additionally skilled the draw back of her sudden fame, and spoke out in regards to the “creepy behaviour” of sure followers who “yelled” and “harassed” her at non-public moments; and who had approached her household and pals.

The singer has taken break day at the beginning of 2025 to work on new music, however will headline the Studying & Leeds pageant this summer season.

Earlier winners of the PJDM’s Sound of record embrace Adele, Ellie Goulding, 50 Cent, PinkPantheress and lady group Flo.

Artwork-rock group The Final Dinner Get together took the title final yr, and went on to high the charts with their debut album, Prelude To Ecstasy.

Runners-up for this yr’s prize included jazz outfit Ezra Collective and dance producer Barry Cannot Swim.

To qualify, artists couldn’t have had greater than two UK high 10 albums or two UK high 10 singles by 30 September 2024.

The foundations have been relaxed this yr to recognise the challenges of attaining crossover success within the streaming period – when an artist can attain primary with out turning into a family title.