Chappell Roan, Noah Kahan, and Charli XCX Spread Love With New Donations to ‘We Got You’
Noah Kahan and Charli XCX match Chappell Roan’s $25,000 donation to support artists’ access to healthcare, following her viral 2025 Grammy acceptance speech.
The “Pink Pony Club” singer accepted the Best New Artist award at the Grammy Awards ceremony and dedicated her acceptance speech to rising musicians.
She vocalized, “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy, and got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry, profiting millions of dollars off of artists, would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”
“Because I got signed so young… 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 the pandemic and could not afford health insurance,” she continued. “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have healthcare.”
The singer went on to urge record labels to treat artists as “valuable employees” and ended her speech by asking, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
While fellow musicians Taylor Swift, Benson Boone, and Sabrina Carpenter stood up and applauded her, former chair of New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and now Hollywood Reporter journalist Jeff Rabhan criticized her, which prompted online controversy regarding the speech.
Rabhan stated, “The Grammy winner for best new artist gets respect and true appreciation for her creativity and gumption, but is far too green and uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today.”
“Actions speak louder than viral Grammy moments, and there are real ways to make a difference: Put your money where your mouth is and invest in new models of artist compensation instead of expecting labels to change overnight,” he continued.
The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer responded to the criticism by donating $25,000 to ensure developing artists receive healthcare.
Roan also announced a new partnership with Backline, a non-profit organization supporting artists in need. Branded “WE GOT YOU!,” the organization references the last line of Roan’s speech.
Inspired by Roan’s devotion, Noah Kahan also donated $25,000 to Backline, sharing on Instagram, “Happy to help get the ball rolling. Money where my mouth is!” citing Rabhan’s article.
Charli XCX matched these donations, writing on Instagram, “Hey @chappellroan I am going to match your $25k to support artists’ access to healthcare. I saw @noahkahanmusic say that [he] would do the same and so I [thought] I’d follow suit. Your 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.”
With the support of these artists, Backline hopes to “create a safer and more supported industry for artists to thrive.”
To find out more about the “WE GOT YOU!” campaign, click here.
