Chappell Roan has rarely played it safe in pop music, but she now credits Miley Cyrus for making it easier for artists like her to push boundaries without taking the full hit. In a new video making the rounds online, Roan addressed the superstar in-person. She acknowledged Cyrus for shifting the culture and taking on criticism years ago that younger performers do not face in the same way.
Chappell Roan says Miley Cyrus took a lot of the heat back in the day
Chappell Roan appeared on the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special,” where she spoke with Miley Cyrus about growing up with Hannah Montana and watching Cyrus evolve in public. In the video, Roan told Cyrus, “You literally walked so I could run.” She admitted how she can be herself “because you took a lot of the heat in 2012, 2013,” adding, “I don’t have to deal with it as much, because, like, you really — like, the world took out on you.”
Roan added, “To see you be the artist you are, to be able to do this, it just shows your heart and your appreciation for your younger self and what got you here.” The praise appeared to move Cyrus, who responded with, “That means a lot to me.”
The timing matters here, according to the Daily Mail, especially because Roan dealt with a wave of online backlash surrounding an incident involving a security guard at a hotel in Brazil. In a video response, Roan said, “I’m gonna tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard – who is not my personal security,” and later added, “I do not hate children, like that is crazy.”
Chappell Roan’s message to Miley Cyrus was simply that she sees Cyrus as someone who absorbed years of public judgment. And now, she believes that taking a stand for herself, as the world gave Cyrus “a lot of the heat” helped make space for the kind of fearless pop persona Roan now brings to the stage.
