Although Chappell Roan is about to debut her country single “The Giver,” the musician has assured fans she’s not leaving pop music behind. Roan appeared on a new episode of Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music, as previewed by E! News, and reflected on her longtime love of country.
“I really just did it for fun,” Roan said of the new single. “I’m not switching genres or anything. I wanted to write a country song because I just thought it would be funny. It’s campy and fun.”
The singer explained that her connection to country music goes back many years. “I’m from southwest Missouri,” she said. “Grew up on Christian and country, and then found ‘Alejandro’ by Lady Gaga and I was like, ‘I think I like this, too.’ So, I have kept country in my heart. And it’s so incredibly nostalgic to drive in West Hollywood and [play] Jason Aldean or Alan Jackson’s ‘Chattahoochee.’”
She added that Big & Rich’s 2004 track “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” was a big inspiration on “The Giver.” “I was like, ‘I want to feel that way on stage. I want to feel that,’” she explained. “Because that’s how I write. I’m like, ‘How do I want to walk around on stage and sing?’ And I was like, ‘I want to write that song, but Chappell’s version.’”
Roan initially debuted “The Giver” on Saturday Night Live in November and has since been teasing the song on social media and on billboards around the U.S. The song, written with Dan Nigro, arrives later today.
The musician previously addressed fan concerns that she was leaving her formative pop music in the dust in a post on Instagram. “I have such a special place in my heart for country music,” she wrote. “I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bon fires, grocery stores and karaoke bars. Many people have asked if this means I’m making a country album??? My answer is.. hmm right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun and The Giver is my take on cuntry xoxo may the classic country divas lead their genre, I am just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for yall.”
Roan recently took home the Grammy for Best New Artist following the ultra-massive success of her debut album and its follow-up single “Good Luck, Babe!” She used her acceptance speech to demand that labels offer “a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”