One thing about Chappell Roan? She’s not afraid to hit back. After taking home the Grammy for Best New Artist last Sunday, the singer made waves for her pro-labor speech, in which she advocated for better health care and wages for vulnerable young artists. And while the industry response was mostly one of gratitude and solidarity, you can always count on a middle-aged white man to take offense to a young woman sticking her neck out. In a Wednesday op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter, former industry executive Jeff Rabhan called Roan’s speech “uninformed,” suggesting she cough up some cash to prove she’s serious. On Friday morning, the singer did just that.
“Mr. Rabhan, I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is,’” Roan wrote in her Instagram Story. “Genius!!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same.”
“@jeffrabhan wanna match me $25K to donate to struggling dropped artists?” she added. “My publicist is @biz3publicity let’s talk.”
Roan then directed her followers to listen to four artists who “deserve more love and a bigger platform,” sharing the Spotify pages for Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again, and Baby Storme.
Roan promised to keep us posted if Rabhan pays up. I’m not holding my breath.