Chappell Roan’s Healthcare Ask For Artists Leads to Launch Of New 24/7 Crisis Hotline
The B-LINE mental health and crisis support hotline offers 24/7 counseling to musicians and their families in need.
Featured Image: via 2025 GRAMMY Awards
It was almost a year ago that the “Pink Pony Club” singer took home the golden gramophone for Best New Artist—and the opportunity to make a big ask of the industry: “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy, and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists, would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,” said Chappell Roan, as the audience roared.
Drawing on personal experience, Road added, “I was signed as a minor, [and] when I got dropped I had zero job experience under my belt. And like most people I had a difficult time finding a job during the pandemic and could not afford health insurance. It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system. I was so dehumanized not to have health insurance.”
After that jaw-dropping speech, Roan took some heat from the industry. Music exec Jeff Rabhan said the star was “disingenuous” and “wildly misinformed,” and accused her of profiting from the very industry she was calling out. In response, Roan donated $25,000 to support artists with a “We Got You” fund via the non-profit Backline Care, which connects music professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.
Now Backline Care has gone one step further, launching a new mental health and crisis support hotline, made possible thanks to the conversation that Roan started.
B-LINE went live on Tuesday, and is offering counselors to assist music professionals and their families 24/7. The number (1-855-BLINE99) and text line (254-639) will provide confidential support to music workers in need.
“This has always been the dream. We’ve supported thousands of music industry professionals in their mental health and wellness journeys, but one critical piece was missing: real-time access to care,” Backline founder Hilary Gleason said in a statement shared with GO. “B-LINE changes that.”
Related: A Quick Look At Chappell Roan’s Controversial Fight For Up-And-Coming Artists
Spotify is the lead sponsor of the initiative, along with Noah Kahan and Live Nation (among the first to feature Backline resources in its venues); additional support is coming from Adyen, AEG Presents, The Busyhead Project, Red Light Management and Wasserman Foundation.
“Support for the wellbeing of the incredibly hard working artists and people that make the music industry function has long been neglected,” said Kahan, who has been deeply invested in the path to the hotline. “A dedicated 24 hour hotline is the first step toward accessing critical mental health support.”
