The Rise (and Rise) of a Midwest Princess: 5 Numbers That Capture Chappell Roan’s Current Explosion

Anyone paying the least bit of attention to modern pop understands that Chappell Roan has spent the past few months becoming a singular, undeniable star.

The Missouri singer-songwriter’s debut album, 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, has gradually grown its audience through a mix of word-of-mouth and major-platform support; meanwhile, new single “Good Luck, Babe!” has built upon the album’s momentum and become a legitimate crossover hit. In the middle of those success stories is an uncompromising new voice in mainstream pop, whose sonic diversity, thematic focus on queer identities, penchant for viral trends and spectacular vocal power have coalesced into true stardom.

Finding anecdotal evidence of Chappell’s rise is easy enough, but digging into her recent metrics makes for a staggering case study in new-school success. Here are five numbers that demonstrate just how huge Chappell Roan has become in 2024.

68.36 million

At the beginning of 2024, Chappell’s full catalog was hovering under 3 million weekly streams, three months after the September 2023 release of Midwest Princess: in the chart week ending Jan. 4, 2024, for instance, she earned 2.51 million U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate. As her profile expanded — thanks in part to opportunities like opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour from late February to early April, and performing at major festivals like Governors Ball and Bonnaroo earlier this month — that weekly streaming total exploded.

Now, Chappell’s weekly streams are more than 20 times greater than they were at the start of the year, as her catalog earned 68.36 million streams in the week ending June 20. Helping to boost that weekly streaming total is “Good Luck, Babe!,” which was released in early April; now her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit, the single has been a driving force within Chappell’s total catalog numbers, as well as a gateway for unfamiliar listeners to explore more of her music.

423,000

Following its release on Sept. 22, 2023, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess did not chart on the Billboard 200: Chappell’s debut album earned 7,000 equivalent album units in its opening frame, according to Luminate, and debuted at No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Rather amazingly, Midwest Princess did not crack the Billboard 200 until more than six months later, debuting at No. 127 on the chart dated Apr. 6 — right at the end of Chappell’s run on Rodrigo’s tour — with a little over 9,000 equivalent album units.

That was just the beginning, though: Midwest Princess cracked five-digit equivalent album units in the following chart week and never looked back over the next three months. In the week ending June 20, the album earned 46,000 equivalent album units — more than five times what it was earning each week at the beginning of April. And after debuting outside of the Billboard 200 altogether, Midwest Princess has earned 423,000 equivalent album units through June 20 — beyond the loftiest expectations when it debuted, and with a lot more room to grow.

55,000

Although the equivalent album units total for Chappell’s debut album factors in track and streaming units, the full-length is also being purchased by fans who want to own the full experience. Earlier this month, Midwest Princess reached the top 10 of the Top Album Sales chart for the first time, thanks in part to CD and vinyl copies being replenished across retail stores (the album comes in at No. 14 on the current tally).

After debuting with 3,000 in sales upon its release last September, Midwest Princess has multiplied its opening sales by 18, for a current total of 55,000 copies sold, according to Luminate.

19

While Chappell’s music is scoring tens of millions of plays across streaming platforms each week, “Good Luck, Babe!” is concurrently making inroads at multiple radio formats. The single reaches a new peak of No. 19 on this week’s Pop Airplay chart (dated June 29) in its seventh week on the tally, as well as a new peak of No. 30 on Adult Pop Airplay.

Meanwhile, “Babe!” makes its debut on the all-genre Radio Songs chart this week, at No. 49. If radio PDs continue to adopt “Babe!” in the coming weeks, Chappell will start reaching a different, robust audience — and potentially set herself up for even more radio hits in the future.

4

Speaking of which, the performance of “Babe!” on multiple radio tallies scratches the surface of Chappell’s ever-growing presence on the Billboard charts. Midwest Princess spends its first frame in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week, rising three spots to No. 8 in its 13th total week on the chart — a breathtaking feat, considering that the album didn’t even crack the chart when it was first released. Meanwhile, “Babe!” has spent 11 weeks on the Hot 100, and continues to push upward: this week, the single becomes Chappell’s first top 20 hit, rising five spots to No. 16.

Perhaps the most impressive chart stat for Chappell right now, though, is that she has four concurrent Hot 100 hits, with “Red Wine Supernova” (No. 54), “Hot To Go!” (No. 55) and “Pink Pony Club” (No. 90) all joining “Babe!” on the chart. The multi-song chart takeover confirms that Chappell’s rise cannot be ascribed to one hit single, and that, as her profile continues to grow, listeners are going to keep seeking out her full catalog.

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