From left to right: Noah Kahan (Photo: Moffly/Depositphotos), Chappell Roan (Photo: imagepressagency/Depositphotos, and Charlie xcx (Photo: imagepressagency/Depositphotos)
Ever since her meteoric rise to fame, singer Chappell Roan has used her platform to voice her beliefs, many of which have to do with the well-being of her fellow performers. From calling out “creepy” fan behavior to crediting drag queens as one of her main inspirations, she has remained consistent in her support of creatives. During her winning speech at the 2025 Grammys, where she took home the award for Best New Artist, Roan demanded better support systems for struggling artists. Now, two pop stars have joined her cause with a donation to match her own: Charli xcx and Noah Kahan.
Regarding the “HOT TO GO!” singer’s ask for a “livable wage and health care, especially [for] developing artists,” Jeff Rabhan, former chair of New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, rebutted that these efforts were misguided, as challenging the label status quo requires “leav[ing] blood on the floor and to put your money where your mouth is.”
Roan, known for taking a stand, replied in an Instagram story. The singer announced she donated $25,000 to artists who had been dropped by their labels—just like she had once been—made a public plea, challenging Rabhan to follow suit. “Mr. Rabhan I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is,’” Roan wrote. “Genius !!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same.”
Despite Roan’s message being directed at her criticizer, singers Noah Kahan and Charli xcx stepped up and have now rallied behind Roan, matching her donation. Kahan went first, writing, “Hey @chappellroan, I’m going to match your $25k to support artist’s access to healthcare. I’m inspired by you. Happy to help get the ball rolling.”
The brat star later joined in, adding, “I saw @noahkahanmusic say that [he] would do the same and so I [thought] I’d follow suit. You[r] speech at the Grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. Happy to help get the ball rolling too.”
Both singers closed out their messages by playing with the same quote from Rabhan’s column—”Money where my mouth is.”
These donations will be going to Backline, a non-profit organization that provides mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals in need and their families. So far, with the donations from the three performers, as well an additional $25,000 donated by Hinterland Music Festival, where Roan performed last year, $100,000 has been raised to support struggling creators. Roan also launched a new partnership with Backline, called We Got You, named after a line from her Grammys speech that said, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
For all these efforts, Roan is determined to spark a real change beyond crowdfunding. “Sharing my personal experience on the Grammy stage wasn’t meant to be a crowdfunded bandaid but a call to action to the leaders of the industry to step up, help us make real change and protect their investments in a sustainable way,” Roan states in an Instagram story. “My mind will not be changed about artists deserving more than what’s standard in the industry. Random dudes are allowed to criticize my Grammy speech, but they best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out of the way.”
After music executive Jeff Rabhan rebutted Chappell Roan’s demands for a livable wage and health insurance for emerging artists, the singer challenged him to make a donation.
chappell roan asking jeff rabhan (former atlantic records executive, THE company that dropped her during the peak of the pandemic) to match her $25k donation to struggling *dropped* artist is peak queen behaviour pic.twitter.com/Tpup84LXqE
— jas (@lessbienism) February 7, 2025
Instead, it was singers Noah Kahan and Charli xcx who stepped up behind Roan and matched her donation.
| Noah pledges to match Chappell Roan’s $25k to support artists’ access to healthcare ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KMGnjvwsgz
— Noah Kahan Nation (Live From Fenway) (@NoahKahanNation) February 8, 2025
Both singers closed out their messages with the same quote from Rabhan’s column—”Money where my mouth is.”
Charli xcx pledges to match Chappell Roan’s $25k to support artists’ access to healthcare pic.twitter.com/cNinHjalAZ
— xcx source (@xcxsource) February 9, 2025
Now, $100,000 has been raised to support struggling artists.
hinterland music festival in st. charles, IA has matched chappell roan’s $25,000 donation to backline to help provide mental health support for artists in the industry! pic.twitter.com/4b6hGzu80m
— chappell roan daily (@dailyroan) February 11, 2025
Sources: Charli xcx and Noah Kahan Join Chappell Roan in Donating $25,000 to Struggling Artists: ‘Money Where My Mouth Is!’; Chappell Roan Uses Grammy Win to Call Out Record Labels for Not Providing Health Insurance to Artists: I Felt ‘Betrayed by the System’; chappell roan daily on X; xcx source on X; Noah Kahan Nation on X; BBC 1 on TikTok; Chappell Roan on TikTok
Related Articles:
Taylor Swift Gives $55M in Total as a Bonus to Everyone Working on Her ‘Eras Tour’
Singer Post Malone Leaves $20K Tip for Single Mother Working as Bartender on Christmas Eve
Anna Kendrick Donates All of Her Income From ‘Woman of the Hour’ Film to Victims of Violent Crime