She is known for her camp - and drag queen —influenced aesthetic. After being dropped from the label, she released a series of independent singles including " Pink Pony Club " that facilitated her rise to prominence.
The album garnered a cult following and was a " sleeper hit ", later nominated for Album of the Year at the 67th Grammy Awards , where she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. In , she released a follow-up single, " Good Luck, Babe! Several songs from her debut album subsequently entered various charts, including " Hot to Go!
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz was born in Willard, Missouri , on February 19, , [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] the oldest of four children. Roan began playing the piano when she was 10 or 11 years old [ 16 ] and began taking lessons at the age of Roan began uploading on her YouTube channel in , only posting covers and occasional original pieces. Chappell, who died of brain cancer that same year.
On August 3, , Roan released her first single, "Good Hurt". The song was reviewed favorably in Interview , which praised her "striking maturity and surprisingly deep vocals". In , Roan moved to Los Angeles. Roan began working with songwriter and producer Dan Nigro in late Roan was unable to find a collaborator whom she liked as much. Roan moved back to Los Angeles in October to continue working on her music independently while working a series of odd jobs, including as a production assistant and in a donut shop.
She then earned a publishing deal with Sony , and by February , was able to work with Nigro again to create and release "Naked in Manhattan". It was described by NPR as a "queer girl bop" with lyrics that are "tender, nostalgic" and "flirty yet uncertain". In August , she released a third independent single, " Femininomenon ". Earmilk described the song as "so fun and loud but so intricate" and noted it was different from Roan's past releases.
