Chappell Roan has solidified her place as a pop powerhouse with her latest single, “The Subway,” debuting at #1 on the Global Spotify Chart, amassing an impressive 8.351 million streams on its first day. The track also claimed the top spot on the US Spotify Chart with 3.904 million streams, marking her biggest debut to date. This milestone follows the success of her 2023 debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and singles like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “The Giver.” Released on August 1, 2025, through Amusement and Island Records, “The Subway” is a heartfelt ballad that captures the essence of heartbreak and healing in New York City.
The four-minute track has sparked widespread praise for its emotional depth and departure from the trend of shorter pop songs. Fans on social media have lauded Roan for “leading us out of the 2-minute song epidemic,” with many calling for other artists to follow her lead. The song’s extended runtime allows for a rich, narrative-driven experience, blending mellow pop, dream pop, and power pop elements. Produced by Dan Nigro, “The Subway” has been compared to the works of Cocteau Twins and The Cranberries, showcasing Roan’s vocal range and lyrical storytelling.
Roan first premiered “The Subway” at the Governors Ball Music Festival in June 2024, where she performed dressed as a New York taxi. The live rendition, coupled with her Statue of Liberty-inspired look, generated buzz that carried through performances at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Primavera Sound. The studio version, accompanied by a surreal music video directed by Amber Grace Johnson, depicts Roan chasing a former lover through New York’s vibrant streets, fire escapes, and subways. The video features a cameo from Elizabeth Eaton Rosenthal, the “Green Lady of Brooklyn,” adding a quirky local touch.
The single’s rollout was teased with posters across New York City, featuring the playful slogan “Going through a break up? Get bangs!” A teaser shared on July 23, 2025, showed a moving truck with a “THE SBWY” license plate, hinting at the song’s lyrics: “I made a promise / If in four months these feelings ain’t gone / Well, fuck this city / I’m moving to Saskatchewan.” Fans embraced the track’s raw emotion, with over 100,000 TikTok posts using its outro to soundtrack nostalgic clips.
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Roan’s rise to fame, fueled by her campy, drag queen-inspired aesthetic and queer anthems, has made her a cultural phenomenon. Her debut album’s sleeper success and the viral hit “Good Luck, Babe!”—which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100—set the stage for “The Subway” to dominate. As she prepares for her “Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things” pop-up shows in New York, Kansas City, and Pasadena, Roan continues to redefine pop music with authenticity and bold creativity.
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