What started as uploading song covers to YouTube in high school turned into a musical career for Chappell Roan.

“I started posting covers when I was 14 or 15, and that got some recognition from some labels, and when I turned 17 I got signed,” the Missouri-based singer said.

Roan, now 20, is scheduled to perform at The Lost Horizon on Thompson Road on Sunday with singer-songwriter Declan McKenna. Their United States tour began in January and will end in March in Arizona. This tour gives Roan a chance to bond with McKenna, an artist similar in age to her, and share her evolving sound with fans.

Roan described her sound as organic mixed with electronic sounds, but with a pop-y tone. The singer said her music has evolved. She enjoys writing songs with more of a pop sound now, and she also is more selective about her lyrics.

“When I first started out, I was writing five-minute ballads, really slow and really long, but now I like writing songs that are catchier,” she said.

She hinted that, at Sunday’s show, fans will hear songs from her upcoming album, allowing listeners a “sneak peek” into what’s to come.

“School Nights,” which Roan said will be released in March, is her favorite song to perform. A music video will be released soon for the song “Sugar High.” The video could be out in as little as a few weeks, she said.

Roan is most excited to share her song “Bitter,” which has been released on an EP with an acoustic video also coming soon.

“(‘Bitter’) is a song written on the guitar, and it’s different and more folky and dark,” she said. “It’s really intimate to play live because it’s just me and my guitar player. You can really just listen to the words.”

Roan declined to say when her next album will be released, but said it will tell a story about heartbreak.

“It’s all about one relationship, one person,” she said. “The first time I fell in love and the first time my heart broke. It was my journey and how I recovered, and the EP takes a few songs about it off of (the album).”

The tour has been a good one for Roan, she said. She said she enjoys being with McKenna and his band because they’re laid-back and easy to get along with. McKenna is a year younger than Roan, and she said she’d never met anyone her own age in the music industry before him.

Roan is excited to share her new music and see how her fans react.

“Fans are the most exciting and open-minded and sweetest kids,” Roan said. “I couldn’t ask for a better tour. It’s so fun.”

Published on February 20, 2018 at 9:49 pm

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu