Chappell Roan won big at the Grammy awards overnight – and used the stage to call for an overhaul of the music industry.

The radiant pop star lit up the red carpet, taking time to speak with GLAAD about the proposed roll-back of trans rights in the United States. She said: “It’s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed and they will forever exist…”

“And they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away, and that has to be protected more than anything because I would not be here without trans girls. Just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you, and I’m doing my best to really stand up for you in every way I can.”

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Winning Best New Artist, the singer – real name Kayleigh Amstutz – earned a standing ovation from the glitzy Los Angeles crowd, before asking for an overhaul of the way the music industry treats young artists.

The singer demanded more support for rising artists, including a “liveable” wage and secure health care plans. She said:

“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 liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”

“Because I got signed so young, I got 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 in 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, and so dehumanised to have to not have healthcare.”

“And if my label would have prioritised artist’s health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.”

“So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance, and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us? Thank you.”