131 days after the initial tease of the song in her 2024 SNL performance, the official release of Chappell Roan’s second lead single off her sophomore studio album “gives” in more ways than one. “The Giver,” which was anticipated as the Grammy winner’s first exploration into the genre of country music, is finally — and rightfully — drawing hearts along the intersection of her two favorite genres.
Breaking the 2025 record as the biggest female song debut on global Spotify — eclipsing Lady Gaga — following its release on Mar. 13 (which just so happened to be Cornell Giving Day), it is safe to say that “The Giver” is a step in the right direction for Roan’s discography and career trajectory, and is sure to be a moment of warm sun on the next update of the Billboard Hot 100.
This song distinguishes itself from the signature new wave style of its older siblings polished by Grammy-winning producer Daniel Nigro, a growing heavy-hitter in the industry. Consumers may be familiar with his work on the chart-topping albums, SOUR and GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo, or perhaps the limitless musical gems by Conan Gray. A flexible musician in the industry, Nigro was probably one of the best choices to produce Roan’s super-graphic-ultra-modern records.
Minus the obvious western instrumentation, “The Giver” is sonically comparable to “Femininomenon” and “After Midnight,” two poppy fan-favorites from her Grammy-nominated debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Lyrically, she is still drunk on the randiness of “Red Wine Supernova,” just as fans had been hoping for in her new music. With Dolly-Parton-esque vocal deliveries of humorous double entendres, Roan continues to break barriers as her unapologetic queer self – a trademark she has been championing for since “Pink Pony Club” in 2020.
In her Mar. 14 interview with Apple Music, Roan expresses her lifelong connection to country music and the way it shaped her identity, giving fans an even more fulfilling appreciation for the song. Coming from a conservative region of southwest Missouri, where country music is played at every gas station, pub and convenience store, it is definite that “The Giver” holds a lot of sentimental value for Roan, and offers her a means by which to connect more closely with her Midwest fanbase. From the start, Roan must have been quite intentional with making this banjo bop to pay homage to the beats that harmonized with her upbringing.
Unlike the many other icons of her discography, this song was not at all ’80s-synth-pop inspired. However, this should not suggest that the artist is planning a genre shift, as it is not exactly the sound that fans had subscribed to when following Chappell Roan. In the interview, Roan herself commented on this notion, stating that she simply wanted to make a “campy” song that spoke to her inner self. Though, it would still be electrifying to see even more experimentation from her in the future.
“The Giver” should definitely serve as a necessary palette cleanser on her sophomore album, channeling a kind of cultural grit that may be absent from the songs that precede it on the queue.
It is important to note that her second album is expected to feature the meteoric hit “Good Luck, Babe!”. Compared to this showstopper, which is currently her crowning career achievement as the No. 1 best song of 2024 by Rolling Stone, “The Giver” is not the same meteoric phenomenon. It just does not shed light on any psychological turmoil — not that all great music is supposed to. However, its essence as an anthem for the queer experience still legitimizes its presence on Roan's album. Plus, the existence of the two polarizing sounds on the same tracklist implies a great diversity in the ultimate body of work, and ambiguity in how much of a return to form fans are to expect.
When Roan won the Grammy for “Best New Artist” this February, her speech aligned itself with rhetoric associated with justice and sociopolitical movement. When it comes to Roan, every action is a statement; every word an argument. Recent country music resurgence in the last year has been spearheaded by figures such as Beyoncé, Shaboozey and other extraordinarily gifted artists from marginalized demographics which were previously shut out of the genre. As a lesbian, Roan is an incredibly inspirational generator of this kind of content. To create sapphic art in such a historically homogenous genre saturated with straight romance, male protagonism and white pickup trucks, is daredevil behavior (especially in the current political climate of the US).
As of now, no sophomore slump in sight. Even if this record is her only official release for a hot minute, Chappell Roan herself is the song of the summer. “You ain't gotta tell [her], it's just in her nature!”
Marc Staiano is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at mcs382@cornell.edu
