Chappell Roan has warned she will “quit” music if she cannot defend herself amid her so-called “villain” reputation.
The 27-year-old singer believes she and other musicians should be allowed to talk openly about setting fan boundaries without being labelled “a villain or ungrateful”, and the star confessed she is in danger of becoming “agoraphobic” or “so stressed out” if she doesn’t speak up.
Speaking on the ‘Outlaws’ podcast, she said: “When I started to say ‘Don’t talk to me like that’… that doesn’t mean I’m a villain or I’m ungrateful for what I have.
“It’s like, why is this customary? It’s so… abusive.
“I thought it was really interesting reading something about how there’s so much love in apologies for people like Britney [Spears] and Paris [Hilton] and how people were so evil to them and as a community we need to apologise to them.
“Absolutely, but also… that behaviour is still… people are still doing it.
“Do you want me to just get to the point where I become agoraphobic? Or so stressed out, or so anxious to perform? You want me to get to that point?
“Because if I don’t say anything, I will.
“If I do not stand up for myself, I will quit because I cannot bear this. I cannot bear people touching me who I don’t know. I cannot bear people following me.”
The ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ hitmaker also warned that if she is unable to “protect who I am” she will have to quit music, or she will become “so severely depressed” she ends up in hospital.
Chappell said: “I cannot bear people saying I’m something I’m not. That’s what’s really hard online. People just assume you’re the villain.
“I can’t do this if I’m not trying to protect who I am.
“Otherwise, I will either quit or just be so severely depressed that I have to go back to the hospital.”
Chappell previously voiced her fears about being a celebrity in a candid interview with The Face magazine.
She said: “I feel like fame is just abusive. The vibe of this – stalking, talking s*** online, [people who] won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public – is the vibe of an abusive ex-husband.
“That’s what it feels like. I didn’t know it would feel this bad.”