Like many fans, Michelle Zauner was excited to see Chappell Roan in concert this fall. She didn’t have tickets, but she did have an in.
Zauner, who performs as Japanese Breakfast, recently joined Roan as an opening act for the pop star’s “Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things” tour. The singer opened two nights of Roan’s four-day kickoff in New York, followed by the first of two performance dates in Kansas City, Mo. Performing for a crowd of nearly 35,000 people in Roan’s hometown? “Kind of surreal,” says Zauner.
“When we heard she was interested in having us for support on these dates, we were like, as many as we can do, we’d love to do it. My whole band and crew are big fans, including me,” says Zauner. “She has such a spirit of an artist, and is very unapologetically herself. And also is so talented as a performer and a writer and a singer,” she continues, adding, “I just really wanted to see the show, you know? And this was a great way to go see the show.”
Zauner, who’s wrapping up her own tour this fall, brought a piece of her set design, a giant clamshell, to Roan’s stage.
”A lot of times the opener just gets to perform in a line, and you have to work your way around their set. So they [Roan’s team] were super gracious for letting us have this gigantic shell piece, that’s been a big part of our tour this year, squeeze into their castle,” says Zauner, referencing the maximalist gothic fairytale castle that has served as a backdrop for Roan’s recent shows. “And the effect was so lovely. I thought it almost looked like Poseidon’s Lair, the combination effect of it — and I think some people might’ve thought it was even a part of her show until it got rolled away.”
Japanese Breakfast, backstage at Forest Hills Stadium.
Courtesy of Olivia Harrington
Zauner also debuted a custom look for the occasion: a minidress with giant fish at the hemline, netted veil headpiece, and long braid adorned with nautical embellishments like a large plastic lobster, pearls, starfish and an anchor.
“ Chappell is always bringing these really beautiful custom looks to her show, so I really wanted to invest in some fresh fashion looks,” says Zauner, who worked with longtime stylist Cece Liu to create an onstage fashion moment that would be “memorable and a little campy and cute.”
After Kansas City, Roan continued on to Pasadena, and Zauner headed to Austin for Austin City Limits. Zauner recently wrapped up her “Melancholy” tour, which kicked off last spring following the release of her fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women).” Now freshly back in New York, the musician is looking forward to returning to a place of creation in the months ahead.
“I get to work on what I really love to do, which is making things,” says Zauner. “It feels like I am being rewarded for a lot of hard work, and I’m getting to finally open my brain to that.” In 2021, the musician experienced a major breakout moment with the launch of her album “Jubilee” and accompanying tour, as well as the release of her acclaimed memoir “Crying in H Mart.”
“It was a very special time, but it was also a really scary time, where we were going to the Grammys, we were performing on SNL. We were doing TV for the first time. We were playing a lot of shows, and they got a lot bigger. I had really bad stage fright for a long time,” says Zauner, who credits the recent year she spent in Korea for helping her to approach her recent tour with a sense of internal stability.
“I was really nervous going on this tour that I was gonna really struggle with that again. And I was able to really find balance and joy in touring,” she adds. “It was a very difficult record to perform, but I learned a lot about performing and playing more complicated guitar parts, and bringing a narrative theatrical show to life. And that was really fun.”
“Day Three soundcheck in Kansas City.”
Courtesy of Olivia Harrington
