Chappell Roan wins major BBC accolade previously won by Adele ahead of Grammy Awards

Lesbian pop princess and 2024’s rising star Chappell Roan has been named BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2025, a title previously given to music powerhouses including Adele.

The 26-year-old singer-songwriter, real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, rocketed to superstardom last year following the success of her queer single “Good Luck, Babe!” which reflected on her experience of falling for a female friend.

Subsequent performances at major festivals including Coachella and Lollapalooza in 2024 drew huge crowds, and cemented her as one of the year’s must-watch musicians.

BBC Radio 1’s Sound of… is an annual accolade presented to the music industry’s brightest rising star, with the winner selected via a poll voted on by experts and established music icons.

The BBC reports that 180 music insiders voted on this year’s poll, including queer stars Sam Smith and Elton John.

Chappell Roan was selected as the winner from a tough pool of competitors, including bisexual rapstress Doechii, queer club favourites Confidence Man, Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, and Scottish producer Barry Can’t Swim.

Previous winners include Adele, 50 Cent, Ellie Goulding, Haim, Sam Smith, and Sigrid.

Last year’s winners were queer band, The Last Dinner Party.

“No one deserves this accolade more than Chappell Roan,” said DJ Jack Saunders, who hosts the Radio 1 New Music show, and presented Roan with her award.

“She was the most exciting artist of the last 12 months and is now set to be the artist of the next 12 months.”

Despite only achieving mainstream success in the past year, Roan has been refining her craft and releasing music for roughly a decade.

Her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was released back in September 2023, while her 2020 single “Pink Pony Club” – inspired by a visit to an LA gay club – saw her find a substantial fandom among the queer community.

She’s been uploading music to the internet since 2014, with fellow queer pop star Troye Sivan once urging his followers at the time to give her a listen.

Roan is one of the leading musicians nominated at this year’s Grammy Awards, up for six accolades, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist.

The Grammys take place on 2 February.

In 2023, Chappell Roan spoke to PinkNews about battling internalised homophobia as a queer woman, revealing that she is “still working” through it.

 “When it’s ingrained in you, it’s in your blood. I’m still working it out,” she admitted.

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