Charli xcx and Noah Kahan Join Chappell Roan in Donating $25,000 to Struggling Artists: ‘Money Where My Mouth Is!’
Chappell Roan’s conversation-stirring Grammy night speech has incited action from the music industry to provide artists with livable wages and healthcare. Charli XCX and Noah Kahan joined the conversation online, with both pledging to match Roan’s $25,0000 contribution for rising artists.
After Roan won best new artist at the Grammys and used her speech to hold record labels accountable, demanding that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists should “offer a livable wage and health care, especially developing artists,” a controversy continued over a criticism of the speech published by the Hollywood Reporter and penned by Jeff Rabhan (former chair of New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music).
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Roan challenged Rabhan to match her $25,000 donation to struggling artists, but he suggested she direct her fans to donation funds instead.
“Fans, y’all don’t have to donate a damn penny,” Roan wrote on Instagram on Feb. 9. “This is one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists. There is much more work to be done.”
Referencing a line Roan highlighted from Rahab’s piece, both Kahan and Charli ended their social media posts stating, “Money where my mouth is!”
“I’m inspired by you,” Kahan wrote in an Instagram story. “Happy to help get the ball rolling. Money where my mouth is!”
Charli wrote, “Hey @chappellroan I am going to match your $25k to support artist’s access to healthcare. I saw @noahkahanmusic say that [he] would do the same and so I [thought] I’d follow suit. You speech at the Grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. Happy to help get the ball rolling too. Money where my mouth is.”
Rahab’s follow-up response to Roan’s donation challenge was also directed at Halsey, who backed Roan with a lengthy Instagram post following the op-ed. For Halsey, Rabhan’s article read as a “tantrum full of accusations and generalities.” She criticized the outlet writing, “This is so far beneath the standard you should uphold as a publication.”
Over the weekend, Roan also revealed a new partnership with Backline — a non-profit organization supporting artists in need — branded “We Got You,” a line Roan originally used in her Grammys speech: “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
“In a world where mental health care and wellness often takes a backseat, this initiative aims to raise funds and provide vital resources for artists who need access to mental health care,” the organization writes on Instagram. “Chappell Roan’s monumental speech at the Grammys last week was a game-changer, as she courageously advocated for better support for artists everywhere. Her words were a powerful reminder of the crucial need for health and well-being for artists in the industry and now, through this initiative, we’re turning advocacy into action.”
Join Chappell & others in the industry in making a difference – together, we’ve got you! Thank you Chappell Roan for standing up for artists everywhere!
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