Chappell Roan’s ‘The Subway’ Music Video Is a Heartbroken, High-Femme Daydream

Chappell Roan is riding the heartbreak express in her dreamy and dramatic new visual for “The Subway.” One year after debuting the fan-favorite ballad during her 2024 Governors Ball set, the Midwestern pop star has finally given the song a proper release, and the wait was worth every tear. From Festival Staple to Studio Single

Originally performed live in 2024, “The Subway” became a staple in Roan’s concert setlists, with fans pleading for an official version ever since. Produced and co-written by Dan Nigro, the ballad is soaked in theatrical flair and melancholy, as Roan recalls haunting details of a lost love, like “green hair” and a “beauty mark next to [her] mouth,” that seem to follow her across every New York block.

“I wrote it as I was stumbling around New York with a broken heart,” Roan shared in a press release. “I kept envisioning us on every street, fire escape, coffee shop, park and yes… the subway.” A Cinematic, City-Slicked Visual

Directed by Amber Grace Johnson, known for her work with FKA Twigs and Jorja Smith, the music video brings Roan’s urban heartbreak to life through whimsical, surreal imagery. Dressed in extravagant outfits and Rapunzel-length wigs, Roan wades through Washington Square Park’s fountain, sheds a power suit in the wind, and trails phantom visions of her ex through subway tunnels and sidewalks.

The visual is both theatrical and intimate, capturing that particular kind of heartbreak where everything reminds you of someone you’ve lost, especially in a city that never slows down. The Next Chapter for the Midwest Princess

“The Subway” arrives amid a whirlwind era for Roan, who picked up a Grammy for Best New Artist earlier this year. It also follows the release of “The Giver” and the viral success of “Good Luck, Babe!,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts globally.

Roan’s also announced a run of pop-up shows this fall under the title Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things. The short tour includes four nights at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, as well as shows in Kansas City and Pasadena.

In a recent social media post, Roan shared that the concerts are a gift to fans before she heads into the studio to write the follow-up to her acclaimed debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

“Obviously not knowing this really chaotic year would follow the performance, it didn’t really leave me the time to build the world the song deserved,” she wrote. “But finally we are here.”

Heartache, glamour, and a little public transportation, what more could we ask from pop’s newest princess?

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