Pop sensation Chappell Roan has claimed her second UK No. 1 single with “The Subway,” a soaring sapphic breakup anthem that debuted atop the Official Singles Chart on Friday, August 8.
The track marks another milestone for the self-styled ‘Midwest Princess,’ whose theatrical aesthetic and emotional lyricism have solidified her as one of pop’s most distinctive new voices.
From debut to chart domination
First performed live in June 2024, “The Subway” officially dropped on Friday, August 1, arriving with a music video that Billboard described as “grimy, gay and gorgeous.”
The track shot straight to No. 1 in the UK, following in the footsteps of Roan’s earlier sleeper hit “Pink Pony Club,” which reached the top in March.
This latest success came amid fierce competition, with Huntr/X’s “Golden,” from Netflix’s animated musical KPop Demon Hunters, being the first K-pop track in 13 years to hit No. 1, following PSY’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012.
It then fell to second place as soon as Roan took over, but as of August 10, it soared to the top once more.
Other high-rankers include Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” at No. 3 and MK and Chrystal’s “Dior,” which held steady in the top five.
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A breakup anthem with grit and glamour
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Roan has built a career on unapologetic storytelling and vivid visuals.
“The Subway,” co-written with producer Daniel Nigro, channels the dizzying adrenaline of soul-shattering devastation that comes with heartbreak.
“I was having a hard time getting over this one person, and I just could not get over them,” Roan told Vogue.
“When I was writing, I was constantly trying to be like, we’re done, we’re done, we’re done, we’re done.”
“The feelings are still there, even though we’re done.”
In the music video, filmed inside a decommissioned subway car at the New York Transit Museum, Roan’s fiery (and incredibly, symbolically long) red hair and strobe-lit surroundings turn the everyday grit of urban transit into a pulsating queer club.
She admitted that the song wasn’t easy to release.
“I just wasn’t ready to put it out yet,” she said.
“It was just too painful. I was just too angry and scared – just about my life – to put it out.”
Saskatchewan’s unexpected spotlight
One lyric in “The Subway” has had a surprising real-world impact: a vow to escape heartbreak by moving to Saskatchewan.
The reference sparked a wave of curiosity about the Canadian prairie province, leading to its first spike in the United States Google Trends in two years.
According to Tourism Saskatchewan’s chief executive officer, Jonathan Potts, the province’s social media and website have logged around 50,000 new interactions since the song’s release.
“We don’t normally get this kind of publicity from an artist that’s at the peak of their popularity,” Potts said to Business Insider.
“This is like a gift from heaven.”
He stated that Saskatchewan’s wide-open spaces, sunshine and renowned dark-sky preserve make it an ideal “cure for heartbreak.”
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The Midwest Princess’s next journey
While her two singles since her debut album have been successful, Roan, despite the excitement among fans, has tempered speculation about a follow-up album.
Speaking to Vogue, she clarified that the single does not signal the beginning of a new LP cycle, hinting that a second album could be years away.
“The second project doesn’t exist yet,” she said. “There is no album. There is no collection of songs.”
In spite of this, she revealed back in March that the next album will still be in the pop genre.
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