Chappell Roan was “treated the best and worst” by “country boys” at school: “That’s how I learned to stand up for myself”

nme.com:

The Giver’, which fans were already calling a “lesbian anthem” after she debuted it during a performance on Saturday Night Live last November and told audience: “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right.

Well, only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.”For a lot of fans, it felt revelatory to have an openly queer musician take on country, and Roan has since elaborated on experiences that shaped ‘The Giver’, including brushes with country boys and embracing her identity through music.Speaking with Apple Music Country’s Kelleigh Bannen, the ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ singer was asked why country was the direction she chose, and she cited “campy” and “fun” tracks like ‘Chattahoochee’ and ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)’ as major inspirations for how she wanted to feel while performing.“I think I have a special relationship to where I’m from because of country music,” she continued. “So, to kind of honour that part of myself (…) it’s like, ‘You know what?

Yes, I am gay and yes, I am ultra pop. Yes, I am a drag queen. You can also perform a country song.'”Elsewhere in the conversation with Bannen, Roan reflected on her experiences with country boys. “I’m about to say something so controversial,” she warned, “but do you know who has treated me the best and the worst?

Country boys.“They treated me the nicest and they’ve also treated me the worst because – this is in high school – and that’s what I grew up around.