Taking the stage to accept a Grammy award Feb. 2 for best new artist, overnight pop icon Chappell Roan used the occasion to blast exploitation.
“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 livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists.”
“I got signed as a minor, and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic and could not afford health insurance,” Roan continued.
After Roan was dropped by Atlantic Records in August 2020, she worked at coffee and donut shops, at a drive-through, and as a nanny.
“It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized. And if my label would have prioritized artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to. Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.”
