If you're in a best red carpet look contest with Chappell Roan, you're in for a tough battle, babe. After all, the "The Subway" singer, who's up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year for her latest single, took her reputation for eye-catching looks to new heights at the Grammys 2026. The 27-year-old (real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) initially stepped out at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 1 in a modest red ensemble complemented with a cape, before shedding layers to reveal nothing but a nipple clamp during her photo op on the red carpet.
Contrary to her bold look on the carpet, Chappell admitted to Zuri Hall during Live From E! that she felt "overstimulated" on the carpet. "People are just filming you and you don’t know what you’re doing with it," she said. "This part is the hardest of the whole night for me." Nevertheless, Chappell clarified she was "feeling good." "I’m not performing this year," she added, "so this is a piece of cake."
Although she's still up for two awards at the evening's ceremony—which is set to be hosted by Trevor Noah for the sixth year in a row—Chappell has certainly had to cool off after getting it hot like Papa John nonstop leading up to last year's Grammys, where she deservedly won Best New Artist and received six total nominations. But while Chappell finally earned her moment after nearly 10 years of hustling in the music industry, she used her platform to champion musicians watching from home.
"Thank you all who listened to get me here today," Chappell said in her acceptance speech last year. "I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists."
Chappell's meteoric rise didn't come without struggle, even after she became a household name. The Grammy winner admitted that getting used to the tightrope of celebrity was difficult. "I think I'd be more successful if I was okay wearing a muzzle," Chappell admitted to the BBC last January. "If I were to override more of my basic instincts, where my heart is going, 'Stop, stop, stop, you're not OK,' I would be bigger."
Considering this concept, Chappell added, "And I would still be on tour right now." But luckily for Chappell, her late grandfather Dennis Chappell (who inspired her stage name) often told her that there are "always options" when it comes to success. And those options mean Chappell is taking her time coming up with her next project. "There is no album," she told Vogue in August. "There is no collection of songs." As she put it, "It took me five years to write the first one, and it’s probably going to take at least five to write the next."
