The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

Roan was signed to Atlantic Records and living in Los Angeles by 2017, when she released the EP School Nights, a "folk-leaning" project. In 2018, Roan finished an original debut album for Atlantic Records, but it was shelved by the label. She started again from scratch, working with producer Dan Nigro and eventually releasing the singles "Pink Pony Club" and "Love Me Anyway" in April and May 2020, respectively. She released "California" that August, and was dropped by Atlantic Records shortly after. The album is inspired by Roan's experience leaving her hometown in Missouri for Los Angeles to pursue a career as a singer. During her journey of self-discovery, Roan navigated love, heartbreak, and embraced her sexual identity – themes that would become central to the record. Roan has stated that The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess allowed her to "come to accept [her] queerness". Roan has said that her stage name and persona is a character and compared it to Ziggy Stardust, the character that David Bowie portrayed on his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), the title of which inspired the title of Roan's album. Musically, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has been described as a pop album with elements of synth-pop, folk-pop, new-wave and disco. ==Critical reception==

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess received critical acclaim upon release. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. Olivia Horn of Pitchfork called the album "a bold and uproarious introduction, buoyed by sturdy songcraft and steely indifference to good taste", also writing that Roan is "blessed with a powerful and versatile voice". The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has been described as a synth-pop, alt-pop, bubblegum, and electro record. Year-end lists == Commercial performance ==

At the time of its release, the album was not an immediate commercial success, originally debuting at number 127 on the US Billboard 200. However, the album started to garner a cult following in the months after its release and became regarded as a "sleeper hit" by early 2024. The album's commercial breakthrough was largely influenced by Roan's supporting act on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour, her performances at music festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and the success of her follow-up single, "Good Luck, Babe!" By June 2024, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess had climbed the charts, peaking at number one in Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and within the top five on the US Billboard 200 at number two. Subsequently, several of its singles ("My Kink Is Karma", "Femininomenon", "Casual", "Pink Pony Club", "Red Wine Supernova", and "Hot to Go!") entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since their release. == Accolades ==

Note • signifies an additional producer ==Personnel==

Musicians • Kayleigh Amstutz – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14) • Dan Nigro – background vocals (1–7, 9, 14), bass guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 12), guitar (1–3, 6, 8, 9), programming (1), drum programming (2, 7, 9, 14), acoustic guitar (4, 9, 14), piano (4, 10), keyboards (6, 13), drums (9, 14), Mellotron (10) • Emily Williams – background vocals (1) • Mike Wise – programming (1), keyboards (6) • Paul Cartwright – strings (1); viola, violin (9, 10, 13) • Cara Salimando – background vocals (2) • Giana Shabestari – background vocals (2) • Sterling Laws – drums (3, 6, 7, 13) • Jared Solomon – bass guitar (3) • Sam Stewart – guitar (4, 7, 11) • Ryan Linvill – flute (4), bass guitar (8), drum programming (9, 12), saxophone (9), programming (11), horn arrangement (13) • Arianna Powell – acoustic guitar (4) • Kathleen – background vocals (11) • Benjamin Romans – piano (11) • Danny Ward – French horn (13) • Erick Serna – guitar (13) • Ido Meshulam – trombone (13) • Austin Drake – trumpet (13) • Julian Dessler – trumpet (13) Technical • Randy Merrill – mastering • Mitch McCarthy – mixing (1, 4, 7, 11–13) • Serban Ghenea – mixing (2, 3, 6, 8) • Michael Coleman – mixing (5) • Nathan Phillips – mixing (9) • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (10) • Geoff Swan – mixing (14) • Daniel Nigro – engineering • Mike Wise – engineering (1) • Noah Conrad – engineering (2) • Chris Kasych – engineering (4) • Ryan Linvill – engineering (5, 9) • Jonah Shy – engineering (6) • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering (3, 8), mixing assistance (2, 6) • Austen Healey – engineering assistance (2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 14) Credits adapted from album liner notes. ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications and sales==