Chappell Roan talks about humiliating audition on “The Voice”

Chappell Roan started her music career through reality TV competitions.
She recounted a disappointing audition for “The Voice” where the producer humiliated her vocal skills.
She started uploading videos on YouTube at 14, attracting attention from music labels.

Years before releasing her debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”, Chappell Roan pursued reality TV competitions to jumpstart her music career. She auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” at 13 and “The Voice” at 15, but neither opportunity led to any significant breakthrough for the young singer.

In a recent interview, Chappell Roan recalled her disappointing audition for “The Voice” and described how the producer humiliated her while judging her vocal skills.

“The producer or whoever the f*ck was watching did not even look up from his phone,” she said. “He was like, ‘OK, next.’ And I went up there and sang a cappella, the scariest thing ever. He never really looked at me.” FYI – she sang Rihanna’s song Stay that day.

At 13, Roan—born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz—auditioned for “America’s Got Talent”. She traveled with her family to Austin, Texas, waited in line for hours, and sang Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”, but failed to advance to the next round.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter gained recognition for effortlessly embracing drag-inspired looks. She released her debut EP with Atlantic Records in 2017, but it received a lukewarm response. Her debut album, however, attracted a cult following and launched her into fame.

Roan earned her first Grammy award in 2025 in the Best New Artist category. During her acceptance speech, she called on record labels to provide artists with a living wage and healthcare benefits, boldly asking, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”

Roan was born in Willard, Missouri, and grew up in a conservative Christian family. Her father served as a Naval Reservist, while her mother worked as a nurse. She began playing the piano at age 10 and gave her first public performance at 13, singing “The Christmas Song” at her school’s talent show.

At 14, she began uploading videos of herself on YouTube, which caught the attention of music labels. Despite a challenging start in the music industry, she built a name for herself through talent and hard work.