‘Hot to Go!’ – Chappell Roan’s Queen biopic-inspired hit

Thank Queen for the femininomenon of Chappell Roan.

The midwest princess joined her producer Daniel Nigro for a special event moderated by Brandi Carlile at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday, where the conversation touched on her creative process.

According to Roan, Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — particularly, the 1985 “Radio Ga Ga” performance recreation at Live Aid — served as a lightbulb moment for her career and led to her smash hit “Hot to Go!”

Dan Nigro and Chappell Roan speak with Brandi Carlile at ‘ Spotlight: A Night With Chappell Roan and Dan Nigro’ at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Rebecca Sapp/Getty

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“Why I even really switched so hardcore into pop was because I watched the Queen movie with Rami,” said Roan. “That scene whenever they’re performing Live Aid and performing ‘Radio Ga Ga’ . . . that changed my career. It pivoted and I was like, ‘I will do like whatever it takes [to recreate that].'”

Asked Carlile, “Did it make you feel so proud to be queer to understand how much power and joy was in there?”

“I wasn’t there yet,” said Roan of her coming out at the time, adding, “I think it was like, I just would do anything to feel that way in a crowd. I thought to myself, how do I do something like that? I can look out and have everyone do the same thing like that. It was so powerful.”

“I can hear it now that you said that,” added Nigro of the sound similarities with Queen. “I feel like the seed was planted with ‘Femininomenon’ . . . and then you start playing shows, then you were seeing how people were responding to that.”

Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
Alex Bailey/Fox

Added Roan, “I knew the whole time I just wanted to write songs that would be amazing live, to interact with the audience. I genuinely think that’s why this project has caught on fire this year. It’s been my year of performing live. These songs were never meant to be hidden on an album somewhere.”

It has indeed been a whirlwind year for Roan, who just this morning earned six nominations at the upcoming 2025 Grammys, including Album of the Year (for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess) and Best New Artist. Roan, who performs under a stage name and was born Kayleigh Amstutz, also reflected on the intensity surrounding her sudden fame, stating that “Chappell is a character.”

“I just can’t be here all the time. It’s just too much,” said Roan. “My life is completely different now. Everything is out of whack right now. This type of year does something to people. Every big thing that happens in someone’s career happened in five months for me. It’s so crazy that things I never thought would happen happened times 10. I think that that just really rocked my system. I don’t know what a good mental health routine looks like for me right now.”

With additional reporting by Briana Edwards.

FAQs:

Q: What inspired Chappell Roan’s career pivot towards pop music?

A: Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody was a significant inspiration for Roan.

Q: How did Chappell Roan feel about her sudden fame?

A: Roan expressed feeling overwhelmed by the rapid changes in her life due to her newfound fame.

Credit: ew.com