Chappell Roan Honors Her Country Roots in "The Giver"
Photo: Ryan Lee Clemens
Chappell Roan is back with her first single since last year’s skyrocket smash, “Good Luck, Babe!” In her first offering of 2025, Roan is honoring her rural roots with her take on a country pop classic. “The Giver” is a cheeky ode to the girls who came before, honoring the campy, silly nature of songs like Shania Twain's “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” while carrying the weight of what it means to be a queer woman in the country space. The beauty of Chappell Roan’s artistry is her dedication to making music that’s pure fun, which in itself makes a serious statement.
The inception of “The Giver” dates back to this time last year, when Roan had just played her historic Tiny Desk set and was gearing up to take Coachella by storm. She set out to make a country song that embodied the spirit of beloved tracks like, “Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy),” because she wanted to bring the way those songs made her feel to her live shows.
Growing up in Missouri, Roan was surrounded by country music and is familiar with the specific, visceral feelings it provokes. Through making “The Giver,” Roan conjured the influence of groups of people who are so different and often at odds with each other. When speaking about making a country song, she references the country boys she grew up dating (and has a blast poking fun at in this track) as well as drag queens all around the world who keep country in their repertoire at all times. In an interview with Apple Music’s Kelleigh Bannen, she says, “Name a girl who HASN’T done ‘Before He Cheats’.” And she’s right, you simply can’t.
“The Giver” has all of the satisfying tellings of a great country song, full of banjos, fiddles, and innuendos. On trying her hand at the genre Roan says, “Country songs take their time with narrative… so do pop songs, but I learned it from country. I learned how important storytelling is through country.” Sprinkling in visuals like lifted trucks, rhinestone cowgirls, and antlers mounted on walls, Roan paints a vivid picture of cowboy culture and then immediately makes it her own.
Since playing “The Giver” at her Saturday Night Live debut late last year, everyone’s been asking if this means she’s making a full country album. In perfect Roan fashion, she responds with, “Right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun.” In this track, she more than accomplishes that simple, yet powerful, goal. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for the one and only beloved midwest princess.
Watch the "The Giver" lyric video below:
