Honestly, pop music felt a little safe for a while. Then 2024 happened. And then the VMAs happened. If you weren’t glued to your screen on September 11, you basically missed the moment Chappell Roan stopped being a "rising star" and became a full-blown titan.
She didn't just sing. She went to war.
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The good luck babe vmas performance wasn't some cookie-cutter dance routine with flashy lights and a backing track. It was a medieval fever dream. We're talking a literal castle on fire, an army of knights, and Chappell in a suit of silver armor wielding a flaming crossbow.
People are still talking about it. Why? Because it felt dangerous. It felt like theater. Most importantly, it felt like someone finally remembered that the "V" in VMAs stands for Video—and she brought a cinematic universe to the stage.
The Fire, the Armor, and the "Good Luck Babe" VMAs Chaos
The set-up was insane. Sasha Colby, the legendary RuPaul's Drag Race winner, introduced her as "your favorite drag queen's favorite artist." That’s high praise. From there, it was pure chaos in the best way possible.
Roan started behind a heavy iron gate. The stage was dressed like an ancient stone fortress. She wasn't wearing a sequined leotard; she was in full-on chainmail. When she shot that flaming arrow into the castle to kick off the song, the crowd actually gasped. You could hear it through the TV.
Why the medieval theme?
Fans have been debating this for months. Was it Joan of Arc? Was it a nod to Julie d'Aubigny, the 17th-century bisexual sword-fighting opera singer? Her stylist, Genesis Webb, later confirmed that Chappell just really wanted to do "knight." But the symbolism goes deeper.
- The Castle: Many see it as a metaphor for the "closet" or the restrictive heteronormative expectations the song describes.
- The Fire: Destruction of the old self. Burning down the house that doesn't fit you.
- The Combat: During the bridge—that soaring, "You'd have to stop the world" part—she was literally fighting off knights. It looked like a struggle against the world's pressure to conform.
It’s theatrical. It’s camp. It’s exactly what the VMAs used to be when Lady Gaga was bleeding out on stage or Madonna was rolling around in a wedding dress.
That Best New Artist Speech (And the Diary)
Winning Best New Artist was almost a foregone conclusion, but the speech was what stuck the landing. Chappell didn't pull a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. She brought out a full-on Moleskine diary.
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She read her thank-yous directly from its pages. It felt intimate. It felt like we were peaking into the brain of a girl from Willard, Missouri, who actually made it.
"I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me," she said. She also gave a massive shout-out to the queer and trans people who "fuel pop." But the line that broke the internet?
"For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now: I see you. I understand you because I'm one of you."
It wasn't a PR-vetted soundbite. It was a lifeline to kids sitting in small towns who feel like they’ll never get out. That’s the real impact of the good luck babe vmas night. It wasn't just about the charts; it was about representation that didn't feel like a corporate checkbox.
The Fashion: Y/Project and 600-Year-Old Rugs
The red carpet was its own saga. Chappell showed up in a sheer Y/Project gown, but the accessories were the weird part. She carried a sword. She wore a 300-year-old robe. She even had her team roll out a 600-year-old rug for her to stand on.
She even got into it with a photographer who told her to "shut the f*** up." She snapped back immediately. In an era where every star is terrified of a "bad" clip, Chappell’s refusal to take any nonsense made her even more of a hero to her fans.
For the actual award acceptance, she swapped the sheer gown for a metallic Rabanne piece. It looked like high-fashion armor. The theme was consistent all night: strength, protection, and a little bit of "don't mess with me."
Is "Good Luck, Babe!" Already a Classic?
The song itself has had a weird, brilliant trajectory. It wasn't an instant #1. It was a sleeper hit that climbed and climbed until it was inescapable. By the time the VMAs rolled around, it was the unofficial anthem of the year.
Musically, it’s a masterpiece of 80s-inspired synth-pop. Dan Nigro (who also works with Olivia Rodrigo) produced it, and you can hear that "big" sound. The bridge is the selling point. Most pop songs today are short—barely two minutes—to satisfy TikTok. Chappell went the other way. She wrote a song with a massive, screaming climax that requires actual vocal range.
Performance Reception: Not Everyone Loved It?
If you look at Reddit threads or Twitter (X) archives from that night, there was a tiny bit of pushback. Some people felt the vocals were "wobbly."
Honestly? She was wearing forty pounds of armor and fighting grown men with swords while singing a song that hits a G5. If she sounded a little breathless, it’s because she was actually doing the work. In 2026, we’ve gotten so used to perfectly polished, pitch-corrected live streams that a real, raw human performance feels "off" to some people.
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Personally, I’ll take a slightly shaky live vocal over a perfect lip-sync any day. It showed she was human.
What This Means for the Future of Pop
The good luck babe vmas performance changed the trajectory for Chappell Roan. It proved she wasn't just a "niche" queer artist. She’s a headliner.
We’re seeing a shift back to high-concept artistry. The "Instagram Aesthetic" era of pop—where everything is beige and minimal—is dying. Chappell, along with artists like Sabrina Carpenter (who also had a killer VMAs set involving an alien), is bringing back the "Show" with a capital S.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators:
- Watch the "Full" version: Don't just watch the 30-second TikTok clips. The pacing of the VMA performance is built like a three-act play. You need the full four minutes to get the "burn the castle" payoff.
- Look into the designers: If you love the look, check out the late Glenn Martens' work at Y/Project and Julien Dossena at Rabanne. It’s a masterclass in modern medievalism.
- Read the lyrics: The song is about compulsory heterosexuality (comphet). Knowing that makes the "burning the castle" and "fighting the knights" imagery much clearer. It’s a story of liberation.
- Support local drag: Chappell constantly credits the drag community for her stage presence. If you want more of this energy, go to a local drag show. That's where the real "Midwest Princess" energy started.
The VMAs used to be the place where legends were made. For a few years, it felt like it lost its soul. But watching a girl in a suit of armor shoot a flaming arrow at a castle while singing about the heartbreak of the closet? Yeah. The VMAs are back.
The next step is simple: stop scrolling and go watch the performance from start to finish. Pay attention to the choreography during the bridge—it's the most storytelling she's ever done in a single live set. Once you see the way she drops to her knees as the castle collapses, you'll understand why this wasn't just a song, but a declaration of war on boring pop music.