Chappell Roan is addressing a controversy sparked by Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello, who accused the singer and her team of aggressively confronting his family at a hotel in São Paulo on Saturday. The incident has ignited a conversation about fan interactions and security protocols for touring artists.
Frello detailed the situation on his Instagram Story, alleging that a security guard approached his wife and daughter after his child simply “walked past the singer’s table, looked to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mum.”
Frello noted that his wife shares an 11-year-old daughter with Jude Law, but did not disclose the child’s name.
Roan, currently headlining Lollapalooza Brazil, responded Sunday morning via her Instagram Story, clarifying that the security guard involved was not part of her personal security detail.
“I’m just going to tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard who is not my personal security,” the “Pink Pony Club” artist explained in a video. “I didn’t even see a woman and a child. Like, no one came up to me. No one bothered me. I was just sitting at breakfast in my hotel. I think these people were staying at the hotel as well.”
“The fact that a security guard who was… I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child. They did not come up to me. They weren’t doing anything. It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions when they have no reason to believe, because there’s no action even taken. I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children. Like that is crazy,” Roan continued. “I’m sorry to the mother and child that someone was assuming something that you would do something and that if you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”
In his social media post, Frello said his daughter “was so happy to see an artist she really admires, or used to admire” before the incident at the hotel.
“By coincidence, they’re staying at the same hotel as this artist. During breakfast, the artist walked past their table. My daughter, like any child, recognised [sic] her, got excited, and just wanted to create sure it really was her,” he explained. “And the worst part is she didn’t even approach her. She simply walked past the singer’s table, looked to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mum. She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything.”
The soccer star then stated that “a large security guard came over to their table while they were still having breakfast and began speaking in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and daughter, saying that she shouldn’t allow my daughter to ‘disrespect’ or ‘harass’ other people.”
Frello wrote that his “daughter was extremely shaken and cried a lot” following the interaction. He added, “It’s sad to see this kind of treatment coming from those who should understand the importance of fans. At the end of the day, they are the ones who build all of this. I sincerely hope this serves as a moment of reflection. No one should have to go through this, especially not a child.”
Roan has previously spoken out about aggressive fan behavior and establishing boundaries regarding unwanted interactions. This incident underscores the challenges artists face in balancing fan engagement with personal safety and privacy.
