Chappell Roan has fired back at a music executive who dismissed her Grammy speech as misguided and performative, which had called for more support from record labels for emerging artists.

The 26-year-old pop singer challenged Jeff Rabhan, a former artist manager with over 15 years of experience, on Friday to match a $25,000 donation that she pledged to make to help artists who have been dropped by record labels.

After winning her first Grammy in the best new artist category on Sunday, Roan criticized record labels for neglecting aspiring musicians by not offering fair wages and essential health benefits. The artist, known for her song “Pink Pony Club,” expressed feelings of betrayal and dehumanization after her own experience of being dropped from her first label, highlighting a system that frequently lets down smaller artists.

In a guest commentary for The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, Rabhan contended that music labels are not accountable for an artist’s health care or welfare. The 54-year-old stated that labels are only required to provide advances and royalties. He encouraged Roan to utilize her newfound success to actively support struggling artists instead of merely discussing the issue.

Roan, whose actual name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, responded to Rabhan’s challenge with enthusiasm, stating she has no qualms about stepping up. She announced her commitment to donate $25,000 to “struggling dropped artists,” though she did not specify the organization receiving the funds.

“Mr. Rabhan, I loved your comment about ‘put your money where your mouth is.’ Genius! Let’s connect and see if you can match my contribution,” she posted on her Instagram story on Friday.

In a later story, Roan promised to keep her followers updated on Rabhan’s anticipated response and gave a shout-out to smaller artists she felt deserved more attention.

Rabhan claims Roan is ‘pointing in the wrong direction’

Rabhan described Roan’s Instagram appeal for him to raise funds as “meaningless” and accused her of “pointing in the wrong direction.”

“Is she genuinely interested in aiding artists, or is she just seeking to win a social media argument? It’s really that straightforward,” Rabhan told YSL News on Friday. “Clearly, she seems more focused on criticizing me than on assisting artists.”

YSL News has reached out for comments from Roan’s representatives.

Rabhan expressed his own desire to support smaller artists, drawing on his years of experience managing female artists. He mentioned that he now earns a living by creating foundations, nonprofits, and schools.

“My perspective comes from all angles. I’ve experienced both sides of this situation,” he explained. “I’ve also taught music business, aiming to educate artists and provide the resources she claims to seek. I’m interested in solutions, and if this is her goal, there are effective ways to achieve it. However, it seems she’s more interested in fighting than in making real change.”

Who is Jeff Rabhan and what did he say about Chappell Roan?

Rabhan previously served as the chair of New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and was the executive director at the Los Angeles Academy for Artists & Music Production. He has a 15-year background in artist management.

In his article for The Hollywood Reporter, Rabhan labeled Roan’s Grammy speech as an ineffective attempt to portray labels as landlords, bosses, and insurers.

He also claimed that Roan is “too inexperienced and uninformed” to be the change-maker she aspires to be at this stage in her career, describing her address as a “cliché and recycled script from an artist who is enjoying the industry’s applause while showing a lack of understanding and targeting the very system that supported her.”

When was Chappell Roan dropped by her label?

In 2020, Atlantic Records discontinued its contract with Chappell Roan, who had been signed since 2015.

Following her departure, Roan juggled several jobs, including nanny and production assistant, while she worked to grow her career as an independent artist. In 2023, she was signed to Amusement Records, a division of Island Records created by her producer and collaborator Dan Nigro.

“If my label had prioritized the health of its artists, I could have received care from the company I was giving my all to. Labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees, offering fair wages, health insurance, and protections,” she stated during her speech in Los Angeles on Sunday. “Labels, we support you, but do you support us?”