By Leyli Izadpanah, Writer
Chappell Roan, winner of the 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist and producer of the highly acclaimed 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, has finally recently released her first country single, “The Giver,” after debuting it in her performance on Saturday Night Live late last year.
Her performance on SNL debuting the track accumulated tons of excitement for her highly anticipated single, largely due to her signature style; taking the stage in a pink gingham halter top, matching shorts, and cowboy boots, Roan exuded a Dolly Parton-inspired charm with a farm girl drag twist. The set design complimented her campy aesthetic, transforming the stage into a whimsical country scene with trees, plants, animals, and more. There was a clever sign on stage right, featuring Tennessee, Santa Monica, and Manhattan; references to her hit songs, “Pink Pony Club” and “Naked in Manhattan.”
Along with the visually stunning performance, Chappell’s vocals and southern charm shined brightly as she pranced around singing the new single. My favorite part of the performance was her spoken word segment, when Roan confidently declared “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right / Well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.” Not only does Roan claim she can treat a woman better than country boys, she might also know how to make better music than them too. Sadly these lines didn’t make it into the studio version, leaving many fans disappointed.
Marking a significant departure from her previous pop tracks, the single ventures into the country music scene with authenticity and flair, and debuting at her highest position yet on Spotify’s global chart. As an avid follower of Roan’s musical journey, I find this track totally on brand and emblematic of her artistic versatility; not only is this track catchy, bold, and unapologetic, it’s a Sapphic Country anthem that joins other queer Country artists in making history.
In E! News’ exclusive clip of the March 14 episode of Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music, Roan, a Missouri native, says that she grew up on Christian and country music and wouldn’t be a “Midwest Princess” without acknowledging the country genre, wanting to write a song that was “campy and fun.”
In an interview on the Amazon Music Country Heat Weekly podcast, Roan says,“I can’t call myself the Midwest princess and not acknowledge country music.” Describing growing up around Country in an Instagram post, she says, “I have such a special place in my heart for country music. I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bonfires, grocery stores and karaoke bars.”
Roan’s inspiration can be attributed to her extensive background with the country genre; as the 27-year-old explained in a post about the song ahead of its release, she thinks of the song less as a country crossover and more as an homage to the country music that helped inform her music taste while growing up in the Midwest. Roan also cited Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” and Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” as influences.
A good country song tells a story, and Roan proves she can do just that in this raunchy, “cuntry” (as fans have described it) hit. The song leans full tilt into the country sonics, packed with twangy banjo strums, fiddle flourishes, and a two step ready rhythm that would feel right at home blaring through a Nashville bar. It’s like if Dolly Parton met Kacey Muskgraves at a drag show and they decided to make a song together. The instrumentals are rootsy, warm, and Southern, and her vocals, though undeniably her own, dance with a playful phrasing that tips its cowboy hat to the genre’s storytelling tradition. The song starts with,
“Ain’t got antlers on my walls
But I sure know mating calls
From the stalls in the bars on a Friday night
And other boys may need a map
But I can close my eyes
And have you wrapped around my fingers like that”
The imagery she uses is grounded and familiar in other country songs, but then she flips it to create something sensual and empowering. Roan keeps the cadence and rhyme schemes tight, like a country storyteller would, but she fills the frame with her own glittery, subversive voice.
The song continues,
“’Cause you ain’t got to tell me
It’s just in my nature
So take it like a taker
‘Cause, baby, I’m a giver
Ain’t no need to hurry
‘Cause, baby, I deliver
Ain’t no countryboy quitter
I get the job done”
The chorus is undeniably catchy, adding a subtle dig at country boys and flipping traditional gender dynamics on their head. She uses clever wordplay that echoes country’s fondness for innuendo, but here, Roan positions herself as the confident lead, a service top in cowboy boots. Roan reclaims country music with her flirtatious, assertive, and very self-aware persona.
As a lesbian country anthem, “The Giver” joins other queer country artists like Orville Peck, Lil Nas X, and Traci Chapman in making history for the queer community. The lively, unapologetic song has a queer twist featuring lyrics that challenge the traditional norms that are ever so present in Country music.
Although Roan has said she’s unsure of making more country music, I’m very excited to see what’s in store for us on her upcoming album. Roan also shared a few details about her upcoming album on social media, stating that it won’t be entirely country, as she’s focused on “making songs that make me feel happy and fun.” Additionally, she says, “May the classic country divas lead their genre, I’m just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for y’all.”
She also told Rolling Stone in September that,
“We have a Country song. We have a dance song. We have one that’s really 80s, and we have one that’s acoustic, and we have one that’s really organic, live band, 70s vibe. It’s super weird.”
Whether she makes an entire Country album, or keeps it simple with just this single, I think it’s safe to say she nailed it. I’m excited to see how she continues to blend diverse genres and musical styles to create a unique sound.
