Chappell Roan's second album: here's everything we know (so far)
| 11/17/24
simbernardo
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2024 Out100 honoree Chappell Roan had a skyrocketing year that included several songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100, a slate of generation-defining queer anthems, her first time performing at various festivals, a legendary MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) debut, her first time as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the release of "Good Luck, Babe!", and even the preview of a song set to appear in her sophomore album — the lesbian country bop "The Giver."
Oh, and did we mention she received a whopping six nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards? Besides being nominated for all of the top 4 categories in the ceremony — Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist — Roan also secured nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
While fans are still playing Roan's debut album — The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — on repeat as the soundtrack to their lives, the world is getting ready for this pop star's next era. The often-feared "sophomore slump" always adds some extra pressure for any new musician, but pop music fans are eager to see the next chapter in Roan's career.
Keep scrolling to learn everything we know about Chappell Roan's upcoming sophomore album thus far — and listen to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on all music streaming services!
On October 29, Roan shared an Instagram carousel with four photos — one of which had Roan posing next to her debut album. The singer wrote in the caption:
"Album kinda popped off imo but it is time to welcome a hot new bombshell into the villa."
For context, "hot new bombshell into the villa" is a reference to the lexicon of Love Island. This is the narrator's standard line whenever a gorgeous new contestant enters the series to turn some heads and shake things up. On social media, this has become a trendy term to talk about basically anything new that's going on in your life.
Make no mistake: this was a clear nod to CR2, Roan's yet-untitled sophomore album, being in the works and coming soon.
Chappell Roan performing at the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Rick Kern/Getty Images
Music producer Dan Nigro told The New York Times on October 21 that he had been working with Roan on her second studio album since July 2024.
So, while still promoting The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, climbing the music charts, and breaking records at mainstream music festivals, Roan was already putting in the work on her upcoming album.
The short answer: yes!
In the same aforementioned NYT interview, Dan Nigro, did say that the singer's next album features a "fun, up-tempo country song" that had "a fiddle." He also mentioned that this song would show fans "a new version of Chappell."
The long answer: an album's track list is always subject to change, which means that "The Giver" could be released as a standalone single — just like "Good Luck, Babe!" — instead of being attached to Roan's new project. Historically, it's also pretty common for songs to have slight changes between the first time they were performed and the final product that ends up in the album.
Dan Nigro and Chappell Roan.
Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Nigro told NYT that he's worked on five new tracks for this upcoming album, which Roan herself later confirmed in a cover story for Rolling Stone.
One of them, called "The Subway," is reportedly about Roan's experiences as a live performer. The other songs that Nigro and Roan have worked on together were described as "a couple of ballads and a mid-tempo rock song."
A Billboard report from October 29 suggested that Roan's next album had a song titled "She Gets the Job Done." But following her SNL performance, we now know that those words are just lyrics in "The Giver," not an entirely other song.
Chappell Roan performing in 'The Midwest Princess Tour.'
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Chappell Roan's upcoming sophomore studio album is expected to be released in 2025. However, there's still no actual release date — not even a time window! — set for the new project.
Looking back, Roan's 2017 EP School Nights and 2023 debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess were both released in the month of September. On the other hand, there's a certain expectation that CR2 will drop earlier than that in 2025.
Out will keep you informed with the latest news and updates on Chappell Roan's new album, so stay tuned!
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Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.