Chappell Roan Delivers Long-Awaited “The Subway” and Emotional 35mm Video
Chappell Roan releases “The Subway” and a heartfelt music video set in New York, out now on all platforms.
After months of anticipation, Chappell Roan has released the studio version of “The Subway”, available now on Amusement, Island Records, and Universal Music Canada. Fans have waited for the official recording since its live debut last year.
Produced and co-written with Daniel Nigro, the track captures themes of heartbreak, memory, and the disorienting aftermath of love lost. Roan blends vulnerability with theatrical vocal range, culminating in the line: “I made a promise, if in four months this feeling ain’t gone, well f*ck this city, I’m moving to Saskatchewan!”
Ahead of the release, teasers including murals and red imagery appeared across New York. A viral clip featuring a moving truck in Saskatchewan further heightened speculation about the single’s arrival.
In conjunction with the song’s launch, Roan dropped a limited edition 7” vinyl, with Side A featuring “The Subway” and Side B the previously unreleased demo “I Hate It Here”. The edition sold out rapidly.
Roan also premiered an ambitious music video directed by Amber Grace Johnson. Shot on 35mm film across iconic Manhattan locations, the video features Roan navigating the city’s romantic echoes, visually expressing the ache behind the lyrics.
Roan explained, “The cliche of ‘the girl that got away’ barely scratches the surface for me with this song. I wrote it as I was stumbling around New York with a broken heart and I kept envisioning us on every street, fire escape, coffee shop, park and yes… the subway.”
Roan’s new fall shows will include multiple performances in New York, Kansas City, and Pasadena, with all-ages access and $1 from each ticket supporting trans youth programs.
