Stephen Thompson | March 21, 2024
It’s become a Tiny Desk tradition for artists to leave a small offering on the shelves — a tchotchke, a toy, a signed album or piece of swag, a guitar pick, that sort of thing. Usually, those pieces get absorbed into the visual din, but sometimes, they change the look of the Tiny Desk permanently. All of which is to say that when Chappell Roan finished her magnetic performance, we immediately sought her out to sheepishly ask if we could keep her wig.
Roan’s marvelous debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, came out last September — just in time to fit into the window of eligibility for the 2025 Grammys, hint hint wink — and it finds the singer toying confidently with a persona inspired in part by drag performers. Flanked by a pink-clad band, she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to serve up an absolute look, complete with white makeup and a towering wig (bolstered by a wadded-up trash bag tucked inside, as well as an assortment of stubbed-out cigarette butts), which now sits comfortably atop a skull Cypress Hill left us.
It’s only appropriate that Roan would forever alter the Tiny Desk. Because, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this is a stunning set: Performing five songs from Midwest Princess, Roan worked through songs of youthful heartache (“Casual”), queer liberation (“Pink Pony Club”), mournful alienation (“California”) and two decidedly different forms of chaotic seduction (“Picture You,” “Red Wine Supernova”). In every mood and every song, she’s utterly commanding — witty and whip-smart, vocally assured and charismatic beyond words.
She didn’t just leave her wig; she left a mark.
SET LIST
“Casual”
“Pink Pony Club”
“Picture You”
“California”
“Red Wine Supernova”
MUSICIANS
Chappell Roan: lead vocals
Eliza Petrosyan: guitar
Lucy Ritter: drums
Valeria Falcon: bass
Sarah Hinez: keys
Danica Pinner: cello
Mia Pfirrman: vocals
Emily Lenck: violin
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Stephen Thompson
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Zayrha Rodriguez
Audio Engineer: Carleigh Strange
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#tinydesk #nprmusic #chappellroan
0:14 Casual
5:00 Pink Pony Club
10:03 Picture You
15:05 California
19:30 Red Wine Supernova
37 Comments
omg wow. next to camp, it's giving BEAUTIFUL swirls of cyndi lauper, lana del rey, alanis morisette, sheryl crow, reba macentire, and so many more nods to alternative rock, country, and amazing songwriting. this is bleeding greatness and nostalgiaaaa
I just love how committed to the bit Cheppell is. Killer performance.
This built my character
She’s incredible ✨
omg I have a new favorite artist
All these ladies are killing it. Wonderful thing to witness.
Respect to the keyboardist – some of those riffs would be very awkward to play so perfectly standing up
Iconic✨
❤
She brings the moment
Me wanting to clap after every song even though im not actually there
My godddd. The end of "Red Wine Supernova" is just so beautiful it's fcking unreal. I can't hear it enough.
if the universe gives me a gift like going to her concert one day, i know how my makeup’s gonna look ❤
12:52 my favorite part
Oh wow, this is bad.
The girl power in this made me emotional
Teared up at the first notes of California.. been waiting to watch this because I knew it would make me so emo lol
She is already so iconic!
i knew it was over for me the moment i watched this, im obsessed
WHY AM I CRYING????
California was unreal, time stopped with that one
As a missourian that lives like 30 mins from Chappell’s home town I am unbelievably excited and happy to watch her rise!!! Seeing such a unique and fresh talent in an area where being different isn’t always the cool thing to do is truly inspiring! ❤❤❤
I watch this everytime I’m getting ready for work bc I am insane
There truly is nothing new under the sun…derivative Lauper/Nicks/Lana with a splash of Kate Bush ordered from Temu.
omg her performance of California omeg
President ROAN!
perfection
I am officially in love with chappell roan
I'm officially a fan
why does this make me want to cry!!!!! love her
There is too much hate and anger in the world today, Chappell washes it away like a summer thunderstorm
WHY ARE YOU SPONSERED BY CAPITAL ONE? WHICH HAS FUNDED ELBIET SYSTEMS? AN ISRAELI ARMS MANUFACTURER?
youre so important to me
The algorithm works! I’d only heard you Chappell Roan through Colleen Ballinger & having listened to other TDC’s this was in my suggested videos! Very talented singer, pleasant to listen to!!
I’m actually IN LOVE with this video, I can’t stop coming back over and over. Her humor, the band, her expressions, the makeup… it’s perfection
Commitment to the visuals is cool, great sound, and she's super local to me so I love that. But wow did this make me realize how much I hate her personality.
The girls who get it get it and the girls who GIRLnt. GORN’ttt