*Disclaimer: This article contains explicit content*

As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to reflect on the notable music that the year has brought us. This year has produced some of my favorite albums, one of them being Chappell Roan’s debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Roan released her long-awaited debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” on Sept. 22. Born in Willard, Missouri, Roan wrote the record about moving from the Midwest to California and the self-discovery that happened as a result.

She released the album’s first single, “Pink Pony Club,” in 2020 — a song about a young girl’s dream of moving from Tennessee to West Hollywood to become a stripper, symbolizing Roan’s desire to embrace her queer identity. However, Atlantic Records dropped her shortly after its release. In late 2020, she started working with producer Dan Nigro (of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” and “Guts”) to create “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 12 of its “The 100 Best Albums of 2023” list, describing it as a “wildly ribald, extremely hooky thrill ride through sexual and personal awakenings.”

Although the album was released in September, I had not listened to it fully until recently. However, it has quickly become one of my top records of 2023. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a girly, energetic journey that captures the feeling of finding yourself and embracing your identity in your 20s.

The album consists of several upbeat songs that will make anyone feel ready to party, like “Femininomenon,” “After Midnight,” “Naked in Manhattan” and “HOT TO GO!”

In the campy “Red Wine Supernova,” Roan describes her feelings for another woman, “Baby, why don’t you come over?/Red wine supernova, falling into me.” In the bridge, she cleverly sings about toys, “I heard you like magic/I’ve got a wand and a rabbit.”

“Coffee,” “Casual,” “Picture You,” “Kaleidoscope” and “California” are the slower ballads of the album, in which Roan’s vocals shine. “Casual” is the standout of the five as she describes a situationship she thought was more than casual. She lists all the things that she thought meant she and her partner were serious, “Knee deep in the passenger seat and you’re eating me out/Is it casual now?/Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach/Is it casual now?”

“This album is for the 10-year-old girl from the Midwest who never thought she could be herself,” Roan wrote in an Instagram caption on Sept. 22. “The girl who felt shame from the day she turned 13 for having a deeper love for her girl best friend that was unlike anything she felt for boys. For the girl who was told to be proper and sweet and ladylike, but simply would never be.” 

With a remarkable debut album, Roan is definitely a rising artist to look out for. She is currently finishing up her tour in Australia and Europe and this spring she will be touring the U.S. on her “The Midwest Princess” tour and opening for part of Rodrigo’s “Guts” U.S. tour.

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