You’ve probably heard of Chappell Roan. Even if you don’t know her name, you most likely know her voice. With hits such as “Good Luck, Babe” and “Pink Pony Club,” it seems that right now, you can’t turn on the radio without a song of hers coming up. Regardless of your take on her, it’s undeniable that she has ascended to stardom recently.  

In case you do happen to be unfamiliar, Roan is a pop singer who hails from the Midwest known for her queer themes and drag aesthetics. She’s been in the news recently over the attention she’s been receiving after speaking out against her fans. 

In a recent Instagram post, she announced her intention to set boundaries between herself and her fans. In the post, she writes, “Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my friends and family. Please stop assuming things about me.” 

The most unreasonable thing about the post was the fact that it had to be released in the first place. An artist should not have to remind their fans of their right to privacy, nor should they be expected to perform all the time. When artists reach a certain level of fame, suddenly they are expected to be celebrities before they are allowed to be people. 

The Chappell Roan situation is a symptom of a much larger problem. We as fans and consumers have placed an unfair expectation upon artists that they must forgo their humanity for the sake of their art. Parasocial relationships, which have become more common as technology advances, give some fans the false impression that there is a reciprocal relationship between themselves and famous artists, or that in exchange for their support of an artist’s music, they are owed something in return. 

The idea that artists need to constantly perform, even for something as simple as a smile for a photo, is outdated and should be done away with just as we are attempting to do away with toxic work culture. The idea that work culture is filled with toxic aspects is growing more popular as Gen Z enters the workforce. Work/life balance is important, transparency is essential and time off is necessary for mental health. If this is to become the case for standard office jobs, why shouldn’t it be the case for artists as well? If normal people have the right to clock out after a set amount of work and spend time with their families, why should we expect artists to dedicate their lives to interacting with fans and preparing their next album? 

The demand placed on famous artists denies them of their humanity in ways that would be obviously immoral for any other career. Roan’s extension of her plea for privacy and personal space to her friends and family truly makes this clear. If someone went to a bakery, ate a delicious pastry, and their first instinct was to track down the baker’s friends and family, scream at them in the streets, or make the baker feel otherwise unsafe, we’d consider that behavior incredibly concerning. The fact that the same behavior has become common when someone enjoys a person’s music is an indication that our society’s obsessive tendencies have gone too far. 

Obsessive tendencies aside, plenty of artists are saddled with unfair insistence from fans that affect their creative output. Big Thief faced backlash on their song “Vampire Empire” due to the difference between the song as it was released and a pre-release live performance. Fans enjoyed the version that was performed on “The Late Show,” so when the version the band released had a few changes, people were mad. Even without releasing music, artists are still under scrutiny. Frank Ocean, for example, hasn’t released an album since 2016, which fans have some understandable disappointment with, yet considering the body of work he has already created, there’s no reason to hold him under pressure to be more productive. 

What’s become clear from all of this is that we as consumers need to slow down. We need to manage our expectations in accordance with what is reasonable to expect from another human. After all, when fans aren’t constantly demanding new music, artists have more time to create something worthwhile. Who knows what kind of amazing media will emerge when artists have the chance to breathe? There may be some who work best under pressure, but that’s not everyone. Plus, when we take all of the demand off of the few artists who have made it to stardom, we leave room for new players in the creative field to get the chance to be seen, heard and enjoyed.