Mariah Carey has commented on Chappell Roan‘s experience of fame, admitting there are times when it’s “not fun”.
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Earlier this month, Roan shared that she’d been diagnosed with “severe depression”, which she attributed to her rapid rise to fame, telling the Guardian that normal activities like going to the park now require her to “book security” and consider “how do I do this in a safe way where I’m not going to be stalked or harassed?”
While speaking to AP recently, fellow pop heavyweight Carey was asked to share advice for young artists like Roan, who had been suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
“Well,” said Carey, “I have been through my share of dramas and it’s not fun because you grow up thinking, ‘I want to be famous.’ I mean, really with me, it was always, ‘I want to be a singer. I want to write songs.
“But ‘I want to be famous’ was right there with it,” she continued. “I feel like it was probably because I didn’t feel like I was good enough on my own because of the things I went through growing up. And that’s not a good way to feel, you know?”
Roan’s feelings about fame have consistently made headlines, with her recently comparing it to “an abusive ex-husband”. In an interview with The Face, the singer vented about the normalisation of extreme fan behaviour including “stalking, talking shit online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public.” She added: “I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”
Prior to that, she had taken to TikTok to share her thoughts on “weird” and “creepy” followers, calling out the “predatory behaviour” of so-called “superfans” that includes “nonconsensual physical and social interactions”.
While there was substantial backlash on social media, several female artists came to Roan’s defence, including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, MUNA, Miley Cyrus, boygenius and Sabrina Carpenter.
The ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ singer concluded by advising young artists to enter the industry “with a love of your talent or what’s really real” for them as performers. “You know, if it’s like, ‘I want to be famous. I want to run around with those people, whoever they are, the famous people,’ then it’s probably not the best idea.”
Her advisory comments come after a particularly rough period for Roan, who last week was forced to pull out of her planned performances at All Things Go Festival in New York City and Washington, D.C, to prioritise her health.
The ‘Good Luck, Babe’ singer was set to play at the twin festivals on September 28 and 29, but said she would no longer be performing due to an “overwhelming” past few weeks.
In a statement shared to her Instagram story, Roan wrote: “I apologize to people who have been waiting to see me in NYC & DC this weekend at All Things Go, but I am unable to perform. Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it.”
She went on to say: “I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health. I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. Thank you for understanding. Be back soon xox.”
