Chappell Roan fires back at criticism of her Grammy speech in support of underpaid artists: 'Match me'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Chappell Roan has responded to criticism of her Grammy speech in which she called for better healthcare and fair pay for artists.

She fired back at Jeff Rabhan, a former music executive who called her remarks "wildly misinformed."

Jeff Rabhan says 'put your money where your mouth is'

In a series of Instagram Stories posted on early Friday morning on February 7, Chappell Roan directly addressed Jeff Rabhan’s comments and challenged him to match her in a donation to struggling musicians.

Roan shared a screenshot of Rabhan’s guest column in The Hollywood Reporter, where he compared her to industry icons such as Prince, Tom Petty, and Taylor Swift. He argued that those artists did not just call for change but took action.

“Skin in the game earns a seat at the table,” wrote Rabhan, adding “But that table requires a willingness to leave blood on the floor and to put your money where your mouth is.”

In response, Roan wrote over the screenshot, "@jeffrabhan wanna match me $25K to donate to struggling dropped artists? My publicist is @biz3publicity. Let’s talk."

She followed up with another post, promising to keep fans informed. "I'll keep everyone updated on the much awaited response from Rabhan," she wrote.

"I'll show receipts of the donations," she added. Roan also told Rabhan, "Mr Rabhan I love how you said 'put your money where your mouth is' Genius!!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same."

Chappell Roan highlights struggling artists who deserve greater recognition

The 'Naked in Manhattan' singer then used her platform to highlight artists she believes deserve greater recognition.

She shared posts featuring musicians such as hemlocke springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again, and Baby Storme, emphasizing their talent and the need for industry support.

After winning the Best New Artist award at the Grammys on Sunday, February 2, Roan delivered a speech advocating for change in the music industry.

During her speech, she said, "I told myself, if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists."

Chappell Roan says 'Labels, we got you, but do you got us?'

Chappell Roan, who was signed as a minor, spoke about her struggles after being dropped by her label.

"Because I got signed so young, I got signed as a minor, and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt and like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in a pandemic and could not afford health insurance," she said, as per People.

She also addressed the challenges artists face without proper support. "If my label would have prioritized artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to," said Roan.

"So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection,' she noted.

Roan concluded her speech with a direct message to the industry, "Labels, we got you, but do you got us?"