The ripple effect of Chappell Roan’s acceptance speech at the Grammys can already be seen.
On Thursday, Universal Music Group – the parent company of labels like Interscope, Def Jam and Island, to whom the Pink Pony Club singer is signed in the UK – announced it was introducing the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, which will offer support to musicians across the US, including those who are not signed to a label.
The new fund is a collaboration between UMG and Music Health Alliance, which aims to provide struggling musicians with healthcare.
Earlier this month, Chappell was awarded Best New Artist at the Grammys, where she delivered a speech inspired by her experiences before her meteoric rise to global fame.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here, in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,” Chappell began.
As many of her music industry peers applauded and looked on in agreement, the singer-songwriter continued: “I got signed so young, as a minor, and when I got dropped I had zero job experience under my belt.
“Like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic, and could not afford health insurance. It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art, and feel so betrayed by the system, and so dehumanised to not have healthcare.”
Chappell added that “if my label would have prioritised artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to”.
“So, record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance, and protection,” she insisted.
After one music exec branded Chappell “uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today”, the chart-topper insisted she would “put my money where my mouth is” and contributed to $25K to the charity Backline, who offer mental health and wellness services to people within the music industry, as well as their families, urging the exec in question to do the same.
Since then, fellow singers Charli XCX and Noah Kahan have matched Chappell’s donation, while Halsey has also spoken out in support of her.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
