On March 13, pop music superstar Chappell Roan released her newest single, titled “The Giver,” which has been considered by many to be the artist’s introduction into country music.
Roan has made a name for herself in the music industry as one of the most outspoken and exciting new artists in the “female pop music” takeover that is seemingly happening. She burst on the scene in 2024 and has earned the right to be considered alongside other superstars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Tate McRae for the best faces in pop music.
Roan actually was the opener for Rodrigo for the early leg of her 2023 “Guts World Tour,” where they became good friends and would frequently sing together.
Roan has been teasing “The Giver” since early February, frequently posting photos of her in a suit, scrubs and a jumpsuit to mirror a lawyer, dentist and plumber respectively. She even bought billboards to advertise the song.
Born in Missouri, Roan grew up on country music, and often makes note of that online and in interviews. In a March 4 Instagram post, Roan announced her new song alongside a caption that read “We’ve never done a country song and I have such a special place in my heart for country music.”
“Going country” is not a new phenomenon, as artists like Kid Rock and Darius Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, have been very successful after switching genres. However, it seems like a lot of new artists have tried to bridge the gap between pop and country music, to varying success.
In March 2024, Beyoncé released “COWBOY CARTER,” which was her take on a country album. The country music fandom responded to the album with varying opinions, however most were negative. Many people appreciated that she was bringing a new audience to the genre, however, “the country purists” as I refer to them, believed that the album “wasn’t country.” After the album simmered for a couple of months, fans again caused an uproar when “ COWBOY CARTER” won three awards at the Grammys, including best country duo/group performance, b e s t country album and album of the year.
Post Malone also tried his hand at creating a country album, with “F-1 Trillion” and the ensuing “F-1 Trillion: Long Bed” released in August 2024. While fans were divided on if Malone should be considered a country artist, it seemed like they opened up to him a bit more because the album had a ton of collaborations. Malone was able to get Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, the legendary Hank Williams Jr. and Dolly P a r t o n to sing w i t h h i m , which definitely enticed the “purists.”
Other artists like Yung Gravy and former Beatles d r u m m e r Ringo Starr have tried their hand at country as well, to varying success. E v e n L a n a Del Rey, who has made a living singing americana-style pop, is even looking to release a country album in May titled “The Right Person Will Stay.”
I spend a lot of my time delving into the country genre as a whole, and it is a majority of the music I listen to. I will admit, that I wasn’t too interested in listening to “COWBOY CARTER,” but I did thoroughly enjoy “F-1 Trillion” way more than I thought it would. The album had a good mix of upbeat twang songs and some great slower songs. I’m also looking forward to Rey’s upcoming album, and will likely listen to it when it drops.
While I was worried how people would react to “The Giver,” I haven’t heard or seen too many poor reviews. Obviously, those who like Roan are bound to enjoy anything she puts out, but the “the country music purists” can be a cold bunch.
CountryCentral, a website and Instagram page dedicated to covering news about the genre, gave “The Giver” an 8.0 when discussing the weekly releases. Writer Will Chapman believes that it’s a track “straight off of Shania Twain’s ‘Come On Over,’” which is considered by many as one of the best country albums of all time. Chapman believes that Roan is not trying to be something she’s not, and she’s not trying to disrupt or save country music. He simply thinks she is trying to coexist in the genre.
Roan doesn’t even know if she’s country yet, as she claimed in an Instagram post that “right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun.”
Whether Roan does embrace her countryside or not, her new song is a breath of fresh air into the genre, and she will likely make an impact on pop country regardless.
