In the heart of downtown Durham, North Carolina, residents were greeted with an unexpected but delightful surprise on the morning of June 1. The century-old bell tower of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church resonated with the vibrant notes of Chappell Roan’s hit song “HOT TO GO!” as part of a special celebration for the first day of Pride Month.
This unique performance was orchestrated by Katelyn MacDonald, a volunteer bell ringer who has been playing the church’s bells on Saturday mornings for about a year.
MacDonald’s rendition of the queer pop artist’s song quickly gained viral status on TikTok, garnering over 7 million views and 1.5 million likes. Among those who noticed was Chappell Roan herself, who shared the video on her official social media channels.
Following the initial buzz, MacDonald posted several behind-the-scenes videos, offering a closer look at her innovative bell-playing technique.
Chappell Roan, who hails from Missouri and no longer identifies with the church despite her Christian upbringing, has become a significant figure in the queer and lesbian communities. Her unapologetic embrace of her identity has struck a chord with many, including MacDonald, a queer transgender woman. In an interview with Sojourners, MacDonald expressed her admiration for Roan’s confident and unabashedly queer presence, which she finds deeply inspiring.
“I’m at a point in my own journey, and also professionally, of not needing to apologize for myself and where I don’t need to prove my existence as a queer person,” MacDonald shared.
While MacDonald is personally drawn to Roan’s lyrics, energy, and fashion, her choice to play Roan’s music on the bells also had a practical aspect. “[Her songs] are just catchy as hell and so fun,” MacDonald explained, “but they were playable on those bells. You can only play so much with 10 notes.”
To bring Roan’s music to life on the church bells, MacDonald relied on a combination of Google searches, music software resources, and her own transposition skills, as there was no official sheet music available. This blend of the historical and the contemporary allowed MacDonald to use the bell tower as a platform for a powerful statement of queer inclusion within the church.
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