Although I’m literally a professional internet writer, I have to say, I’m constantly shocked by the pop culture news I stumble upon. You truly can never predict what a celebrity is gonna drop, or what the internet is gonna pick up and run with.
And this news I have to share with you juuuust might be the most random, unexplainable, shocking thing I’ve ever seen on the internet. Because it has to do with two things I never thought would mesh: Chappell Roan and random Canadian provinces.
Let me explain. Chappell, our latest Best New Artist winner at the Grammys, has been a bit quieter ever since she dropped her single “The Giver” in March. But she’s officially BACK with a brand-new song called “The Subway,” teased through a ‘lil video posted earlier this week.
Now, I thought the video would be a regular promotional video, yanno, just to get people excited about “The Subway.” But it far exceeded my expectations, because I was so shocked to see that the teaser was ALL. ABOUT. CANADA. Well, not just Canada: Saskatchewan. (For those of you who have no idea what that is, I’ll explain in a bit.)
The teaser opens up on a zoomed-in licence plate that reads “THE SBWY,” with “Saskatchewan” and “Land of Living Skies” also written on it (the latter is the province’s tagline). Then, we see the vehicle is a truck, and Chappell is driving down an empty road. (Yep, that checks out for Saskatchewan. Girl did her research.)
The last frame in the teaser displays the Saskatchewan welcome sign, with the same tagline. And if you think that’s wild, hold your horses, because I HAVEN’T EVEN TOLD YOU THE LYRICS YET.
While we’re seeing all of this Saskatchewan promo, we can hear a snippet of “The Subway,” in which Chappell sings: “I made a promise, if in four months this feeling ain’t gone / Well, fuck this city, I’m moving to Saskatchewan.”
Now, I know this might sound like just a silly little name-drop to the average non-Canadian. But there are so many layers as to why this is totally wild. First, Saskatchewan is one of ten provinces in Canada, but it’s one of the least densely populated. If it’s known for anything, it’s being…kind of just there. That and agriculture, which plays into the province’s reputation of being pretty empty.
And besides, Canada rarely gets mentions in any pop songs (and if it does, it’s normally just Toronto). So the fact that Chappell would choose such an unexpected, niche location to shoutout is just really freakin’ funny…along with the fact that the name-drop is confusing Americans left and right.
So for the most part, Canadian fans are purely in shock:
Other people have called out the irony of Chappell saying she’s gonna move to Saskatchewan, though, because it’s one of the most right-wing provinces in Canada. That doesn’t align super well with Chappell’s views, particularly surrounding LGBTQ+ rights.
But honestly, I’m just thrilled Canada is getting its flowers, especially the provinces people don’t think to talk about much. I guess our next step is to wonder whether Saskatchewan tourism is gonna explode because of this. (If people aren’t on board yet, just wait ’till they find out what the capital city of Sask is called. Just saying.)
What are your thoughts on Chappell Roan shouting out Saskatchewan in her new song? Tell me in the comments below!
