Chappell Roan isn’t just any Midwestern princess — she’s a medieval one. The musician made her MTV Video Music Awards debut in front of a castle backdrop, signaled by her arrival on the red carpet with a sword and a medieval guard. Roan fired a flaming arrow at the castle onstage, setting it ablaze as she launched into “Good Luck Babe” from The rise and fall of a Midwestern princess.

As guards around her fought with their own swords, Roan sang through the violence and smoke of the flames. In her ancient armor, she dropped to her knees and sang the iconic bridge, “Good Luck Babe.” “When you wake up beside him in the middle of the night/With your head in your hands, you’re nothing more than his woman,” she sang. “And when you think of me all those years ago/You’re face to face with what I told you so.”

Sasha Colby, your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen, introduced Roan’s performance with a moving speech that was fit for your favorite singer’s favorite singer. “Pop music is inclusive. It doesn’t matter who you love, it’s meant for everyone,” she said. “And no one has reignited that spirit more than this next artist. You’ve all seen her explode. The Midwest Princess is in the house. Your favorite drag queen’s favorite artist, this is my daughter: Chappell Roan.”

Roan is one of three finalists for Best New Artist at this year’s VMAs, up against Gracie Abrams and Tyla. The singer earned nominations for MTV Push Performance of the Year for her March 2024 performance of “Red Wine Supernova” and Best Trending Video for “Hot to Go!” She was also nominated for one of the night’s biggest awards, Song of the Summer, for “Good Luck, Babe!”

Roan is also Rolling Stone‘s October 2024 cover star. In the interview, the singer reflected on all the people, both inside and outside the music industry, who didn’t believe in her as she transformed into the pop supernova she’d become. “It feels so good to prove them wrong, because they weren’t just a little bit wrong,” she said. “They were really, really, really wrong. Knowing that my gut was right is the best feeling in the world. Purposeful revenge doesn’t feel good, but accidental revenge feels amazing.”

And for anyone who thought she’d built the foundation of this pop empire — and the flaming castle that surrounds it — overnight, she had a message for you, too: “What’s so frustrating is how people are only now taking me seriously. Like, ‘You know what, bitch? I did this and you’re just now catching up. ‘”