There was no doubt Chappell Roan would give a transformative debut performance at the 2024 MTV VMAs—and the Midwest Princess did not disappoint.
To perform her recent hit "Good Luck, Babe!" on the VMA stage on Wednesday, September 11, the pop star channeled Joan of Arc in a theatrical, intricate, jaw-dropping performance that burned the stage up, literally.
The "HOT TO GO!" singer began her performance behind a stately gate, with the stage evoking an ancient castle behind her. Wearing a suit of silver armor and chainmail, Roan marched to the front of the stage carrying a crossbow lit with a flaming arrow. She then shot the arrow at the stage, setting off sparks and the opening notes of "Good Luck, Babe!"
As the "Red Wine Supernova" star sang on the emblazed stage, she and her armor-clad dancers performed an extended fight sequence, complete with swordplay and pyrotechnics. Eventually, she focused on singing the track's epic bridge as combat raged around her, completing the song with flames subsiding behind her.
Over the past few months of her meteoric rise, Roan's extravagant costumes and themes have become a trademark, with the artist crediting the drag community as an inspiration. The VMAs even tapped RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 winner Sasha Colby to present the pop star's perfroamcne. During her remarks, Colby dubbed Roan her "daughter" and "your favorite drag queen's favorite artist."
Later in the night, Roan dedicated her win for Best New Artist to "all the drag artists who inspire me" and the "queer and trans people that fuel pop." She added, "For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you. I understand you because I'm one of you. And don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't be exactly who you wanna be."
Roan gave an early hint for her dramatic performance on the 2024 MTV VMAs red carpet, where she dressed to the medieval theme in a gauzy naked dress from Y/Project, chainmail gloves, an oversized cross necklace, and silver dagger nails. She also had a helpful knight on deck to assist her with her props: a large sword, an embellished vintage robe, and an antique rug.
Speaking to MTV on the carpet, Roan revealed that the robe was roughly 300 years old, while the rug counted around 600 years.
