Chappell Roanis one of the biggest artists in modern pop music, but there are a handful of underrated 1980s artists who are just as great.Roan experimented with various genreson her debut album,The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,and the music she released afterward. She’s especially used a lot of synth-pop in her music.
Roan recently releasedher new single “The Subway,” which borrows elements from alt-pop. The music video incorporated a lot of artistic aspects that resemble the work of some of the new wave ’80s pop singers. The decade was huge for pop music, and there are plenty ofunderrated ’80s artists who would appeal to Chappell Roan’s fans.
10Kate Bush
Kate Bush is best known for her 1985 single"Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)." The song especially resonated with younger generations afterappearing inStranger Thingsseason 4, shooting to the top three on theBillboardHot 100 in 2022. Like Chappell Roan, Bush experimented with synth pop and made some pretty artistic music videos.
TheStranger Thingstrack is one example, but Bush has several other examples, like “Wuthering Heights” and “The Man With The Child In His Eyes.” The latterresembles some of Roan’s balladsthat appeared onThe Rise and Fall of A Midwestern Princess.
9Nena
In 1983, Nena, whose real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner, released “99 Luftballons” with her band of the same name. When it reached success across Europe,Nena released the English version, “99 Red Balloons.”
The song has some synth pop and pop rock elements that fit into the realm of Roan hits like “Hot To Go” or “My Kink Is Karma.” If you’re afan of Roan’s vocals, Nena’s are equally as unique.Nena also released “Just A Dream,” another English track, in 1984, which plays with the same production elements.
8Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan’s biggest hit was her 1982 single “Gloria.” The hit was actually an English cover of Italian artist Umberto Tozzi’s song. It achieved massive success, peaking at #2 on theBillboardHot 100 andremaining on the charts for 36 weeks.
At the time, this was the longest a female artist had a song on the Hot 100. “Gloria” alsoborrowed elements of synth pop and rock, making her the perfect artist for anyone who loves Chappell Roan’s music.
“Self Control” was another one of Branigan’s big hits, which leaned on the same genres as “Gloria.” The song’s music video isvery in tune with Roan’s artistic vision, especially a dance scene that feels very on par with a scene from Roan’s recent “The Subway” music video.
7Tiffany
Tiffany is another artist whose most recognized song was a cover. Tommy James and the Shondells originally released “I Think We’re Alone Now” in 1967, but twenty years later, Tiffany’s coverdefined ’80s pop music. Whilethe original version reached #4on theBillboardHot 100, Tiffany’s cover skyrocketed to #1 and remained there for two weeks.
Tiffany reinvented the song’s genre for the new decade and introduced the song to a whole new generation. Not only does Tiffany share the same vibrant red hair as Chappell Roan, but thesinger is also just as versatile with her music.
After the success of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” she released the ballad “Could’ve Been,” whichshowcased her impressive vocal rangethat also resembles Roan’s. The ballad also spent two weeks at #1 on theBillboardHot 100.
6Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde’s synth-pop hit “Kids In America” was a top 40 hit in the United States and Canada, and topped the charts in other countries. With its contributions to pop culture, like The Muffs cover for theCluelesssoundtrack, it isarguably Wilde’s best-known song.
However, the singer has several other hits perfect for anyone who loves Chappell Roan’s sound. While Wildeincorporated a lot of rock elements into her music, songs like “Never Trust A Stranger” and her cover of “You Keep Me Hanging On” have a lot more synth-pop influences.
5Alison Moyet
Before starting her solo career, Alison Moyet was a part of the ’80s pop duo Yazoo. One of their most popular songs, “Only You,” has been compared to a lot of modern-day synth pop songs. Thesingle’s intro heavily relies on a synthesizer, and its sound has been mimicked countless times.
Regarding Chappell Roan’s music, it’smost similar to her 2024 single “Good Luck, Babe.“The #4BillboardHot 100 track also relies heavily on its synth intro. Yazoo had countless other hits with the same synth-pop sound, and when Moyet went solo, she continued building upon her pop catalog.
Like Roan and many other ’80s singers,Moyet has powerhouse vocals that pull a lot of weightinto her music. Her 1984 single “Invisible” is the perfect example.
4Howard Jones
Howard Jones is a UK artist who rose to prominence in the United States during what’s considered the second British invasion of the music industry. Throughout the ’80s,the singer had ten top 40 hits, including “Like To Get To Know You Well” and “New Song.”
The latter song especially taps into synth and new-wave pop while also incorporating some rock elements. This stylematches some of Chappell Roan’s hits, like “Naked In Manhattan” and “Red Wine Supernova,“which also lean into synth-pop while incorporating some pop-rock into the production.
3David Sylvian
David Sylvian is best known for being the lead singer of the ’80s band Japan.His debut solo album,Brilliant Trees, was critically acclaimedand commercially successful. Unlike a lot of the other ’80s pop music, Sylvian’s album was full of mostly slow-tempo songs.
Tracks like “Nostalgia” and “Weathered Down” are perfect for Roan fans who favor her popular ballads like “Casual” and “Kaleidescope.” Roan may be best known for her upbeat songs that have taken over the music industry, buther ballads are just as powerful.
Some fans evenprefer Roan’s slower songs to her more popular hits. David Sylvian is the perfect artist for those fans.
2Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty MacColl, the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl, experimented with various different genres throughout the ’80s. Just like Roan, MacColl has a very quirky presence.MaColl did a new wave cover of Billy Bragg’s “New England"in 1984, but also tapped into country production for other hits.
“There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop, Swears He’s Elvis” was the lead single off her debut album,Desperate Character,and iscategorized as country-rock. The single shares the most similarities withChappell Roan’s 2025 country single “The Giver.”
Like the 2025 Grammy Best New Artist winner,MacColl never boxed herself into one genrewith her music. Instead, she pushed herself to experiment and have fun with her songs.
1Sandra
Sandra is a German singer who saw international success in the ’80s and evenoutsold Madonna with her musicin certain countries. The singer’s music incorporated a lot of upbeat dance pop production, but she had her fair share of ballads, too.
Sandra had a veryenthusiastic presence, just as Roan does,and also wasn’t afraid to get creative with her music videos. Sandra was especially imaginative in the 1987 music video for her cover of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love.”
The video sees Sandra dressed in various different costumes, including a princess costume with a hennin, similar to the one Roan wore to the 2025 Grammy Awards.Chappell Roanclearly takes a lot of inspiration from the artists of the ’80s, embracing the music and artistic elements of the past and making them her own.
