Singer Chappell Roan has called on record labels to provide a “liveable wage” to rising stars after winning the best new artist award at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Roan, whose real name is Kayleigh Amstutz, received a standing ovation from many artists in the Los Angeles crowd as she also called on labels to provide healthcare for those at the start of their career.
Speaking as she accepted the award, Roan said: “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 of artists, would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.
“It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system, and so dehumanised to have to not have healthcare.”
She continued: “And if my label would have prioritised artist’s 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 liveable wage and health insurance, and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us? Thank you.”
Receiving the award, the 26-year-old also thanked her grandfather, who she took part of her stage name from, and her fellow artists, friends and family.
As she read out her speech, singer Sabrina Carpenter could be seen tearing up, while rapper Doechii nodded her head in approval, as Roan’s hat fell off halfway through.
Earlier in the night, she delivered a joyful and theatrical performance of her disco anthem Pink Pony Club which saw her start by sitting on a giant pink pony, before joining a group of dancers dressed as rodeo clowns for some western-inspired choreography.
She has previously been honest about her struggles with mental health and how skyrocketing to fame in the past year has impacted her.
During a concert in North Carolina in June, the singer became emotional on stage as she opened up about how she was feeling.
At the gig she said: “I just want to be honest with the crowd. I feel a little off today because I think that my career has just gone really fast and it’s really hard to keep up.
“So I’m just being honest, I’m just having a hard time today.”
She has also called out “creepy behaviour” from fans in the past.
Roan is set to perform at Reading and Leeds festivals as well as Primavera Sound in Barcelona this summer.
