Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Lorne Thomson/Redferns, Marleen Moise/Getty Images, Kate Green/Getty Images
How vocal is a vocalist allowed to be? Chappell Roan made headlines throughout the summer for her attempts to push back against a culture of “creepy” fan interactions, urging her TikTok audience in August to treat her like a “random bitch.” But for years, critiquing aspects of fame has been a pretty reliable way of getting a singer dragged as ungrateful or unfit to be famous. (Consider Fiona Apple’s 1997 “this world is bullshit” speech, in which she urged fans to not aspire to celebrity while accepting the Best New Artist Video award at the VMAs; her remarks made worst-of lists across decades.) Roan has prompted discourse…
