The paradox of musical freedom and industry constraints has permeated various artists’ ability to perform authentic material. Chappell Roan, a queer popstar whose drag-inspired artistry propelled her popularity from an underground performer to stardom, was awarded Best New Artist at the Grammys this year. In her speech, she addressed how the music industry profits off artists’ work who don’t even earn a liveable wage. She asked record labels, “We got you, but do you got us?” highlighting artists’ lack of label support. Her title as an “overnight success” undermines Chappell’s ten-year trajectory, with three years of independent production, while perpetuating a false narrative of her work that mirrors the financial control and exploitation producers hold over artists. Though Chappell’s words have been criticized, they have sparked discussion on the industry’s role in fame and finance, forcing the industry to confront its contradictions.

Words by Rachel Czuba

Pop sensation, Sabrina Carpenter, has reclaimed her sound, but not without a decade of challenges. While starring in the sitcom Girl Meets World, Carpenter signed a five-record deal with Disney’s Hollywood Records at 14 years old. However, recently with Vogue, she admits “I definitely didn’t fulfil my contract, thank God” as she only released four albums, not five.

Despite never sharing how she escaped the contract; it is suspected that there was a mutual agreement as she grew out of the ‘Disney brand’ with creative differences to the label. She gained more creative control than ever before with her signing to Island Records in 2021: she revealed to Variety that they “really understood my vision” through supporting her risk-taking. Island encouraged her break-through with Short ‘N Sweet: cementing Sabrina as a main Pop ‘IT’ Girl, becoming the artist she was always meant to be.

Words by Ellie Evans

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Photo by Marcela Laskoski on Unsplash. No changes have been made to the image.