From Sexiest Man to Sally: Role Model’s Rise in 2025

After losing People Magazine’s Sexiest Musician Alive in 2024 to none other than Harry Styles, Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury, took to the internet to complain.

He added the magazine to his so-called ‘enemies list’, ripped a t-shirt that featured an edit of him on the magazine’s cover, ranted on TikTok about the loss, and became visibly irritated when reminded of the topic on Jake Shane’s podcast. But, one year on and he’s earned himself People’s first ever centrefold, posing across a double page spread, with only a newspaper covering him for privacy. So, as it turns out, being a sore loser may just be the key to winning.

His public, tongue-in-cheek campaign against the magazine, his alter-ego TikTok account @Saintlaurentcowboy- that he claims is impersonating him- and his track, Sally, When The Wine Runs Out, have kept him at the front of social media feeds this year. Thousands have tuned in to his sets, both in person and online, to see who he’ll bring out as his ‘Sally’ and kept up with his socials to see who will be next on his enemies list. But is it his viral moments alone that have catapulted him to success?

While some people have tried to claim that he has ‘come out of nowhere’ and must be an ‘industry plant’, as an artist, Tucker has been around since 2016. While he wasn’t yet known as Role Model, rapping and uploading to Soundcloud under different names, he was gaining some recognition in his local rap scene in Pittsburgh, where he was studying. After landing on Role Model as his stage name in 2017, he released the EP, Arizona in the Summer, which was recorded from his closet. It was this release that somehow made its way to the attention of the late Mac Miller. From Pittsburgh himself, Miller saw potential in Tucker’s sound, inviting him to Los Angeles to work together. From then, his rise was steady. He released the EPs Oh, How Perfect and Our Little Angel and later, in 2022, his debut album, rx.

In mid-2024, Role Model dropped his sophomore album, Kansas Anymore. While his previous releases had earnt him a sizeable loyal fanbase, this album took him into mainstream spaces. Speaking with Zane Lowe he said that, following this release, it was the first time that he ‘felt accepted by other artists’ that he loves and respects himself. Sonically, it was a huge departure from rx, which combined rap with the bedroom pop sounds of 2020. With his second record, he kept hold of some of his quick-flowing lyrics but progressed his sound, blending pop and folk with some added country flair. As many of us have seen and played a part in, country music came back swinging in the past year or so, making it the perfect time for a release of this style.

As well as his good timing, this album was a rare occurrence of someone taking full accountability for their actions. After a public breakup, the album divulges some of the issues within the relationship. While many break-up albums can tend to blame the other person, Role Model’s Kansas Anymore is a refreshing change. On Superglue, an upbeat song that feels suited to a warm summer night, he sings lines such as ‘The only thing I’m doing is never doing enough’, ‘Girl, I’m sorry for the damage and bandages that I’m ripping’, and ‘Even when I’m home, I ain’t home / You’re sleeping in that bed on your own / I shouldn’t have to tell you all this shit through the phone’. He openly admits to not putting in the effort he should be into the relationship and for causing hurt to the other person.

And while he does all this, not once does he ever say a bad word about the ex-partner. Songs like Frances and Something, Somehow, Someday praise the female in a relationship, whoever they may be, with Tucker listing their best qualities. In fact, across his music, he shows a tendency to lift women up. On Look At That Woman he admires a female in a non-sexualising or demeaning way, singing the song’s title over and over in the chorus. This positive, respectful manner when speaking about women extends past his music too. In an interview for the podcast Q with Tom Power, he spoke about his fanbase being ‘majority women’, and that it is, for him, the ‘best case scenario as an artist’, explaining that ‘they are the most loyal, passionate type of fans ever’. He worried that, because of this, they wouldn’t relate to his album about being a bad boyfriend. But it is this honesty and confessional songwriting that his fans have been so drawn to.

Virali, who became a fan this year, said her first introduction to Role Model was through social media, where his humour immediately won her over. ‘After that, I started diving into his music, and what really kept me listening was how honest and open he is with his emotions’, she said. She also noted that while he is ‘chronically online’ like the rest of us, ‘he actually pays attention to what fans are saying and engages with all the internet chatter about him, which is something we rarely get from celebrities. That sense of connection and authenticity is a big part of why I became such a fan’.

We can’t talk about Role Model’s impressive rise this year without acknowledging the success of his song, Sally, When The Wine Runs Out. Released early this year as part of his deluxe album, titled Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), the country-pop earworm took over airwaves and social media almost immediately. After a rumour-slash-joke that the song is about aforementioned podcaster and content creator, Jake Shane, went spiraling through the fandom, Tucker had the idea to bring Jake out on stage in Dallas. Screams erupted as he walked out from backstage, dancing with Tucker through the song’s bridge. From then on, it became an iconic, highly anticipated moment for his tour shows, and even at his festival slots. It started a trend that took on new levels, with fans being invited out on stage and later progressed to other famous faces. Fans were surprised and delighted by the likes of Hilary Duff, Olivia Rodrigo and Niall Horan making surprise appearances. It was a key point of chatter for the audiences at the venues, as well as many rumours and discussions circulating on social media about who would be the next ‘Sally’. In many ways, it was a genius move, offering unlimited viral moments, and lifelong memories for those in the room.

While his fans often playfully mock him for a previous Instagram live where he’d bashed artists who were ‘trying to be funny’ on TikTok, it is clear to see that he has used the internet to his advantage this year. Whether it be the ‘Sally’ trend or his own self-deprecating humour, he has amassed a lot of online engagement. One key outcome of this, however, is a space that allows his fans to let go and just have a bit of fun too. As he doesn’t take his online output too seriously, neither do his fans, filling his comment sections with replies referring to him as Sabrina Carpenter- an inside joke stemming from him introducing himself at his shows as every artist but himself.

The real trick though, is getting people to stick around after a couple of funny videos. As Virali points out, it is his music that keeps fans engaged. If he was just a witty, tatted up singer posting online with boring music, he wouldn’t be selling out tours and bringing huge audiences to his set at Lollapalooza. What he has fostered, instead of a passive audience that just like the music, or just an impressive following online, is a whole community. So, alongside his yearning, country-tinged indie-pop music, is an active, welcoming, and, oftentimes, hilarious fandom that outsiders are desperate to be a part of. Too frequently now, online fandoms can become toxic, taking defending their favourite band or artist too far, or not being welcoming to new fans in fear of said artist becoming too big and therefore unreachable. Not this fandom though. You won’t see them being nasty to other fandoms in his defence, likely because they were the ones teasingly criticising him in the first place. It’s a unique fanbase that he has cultivated, but one that is so special.

This year brought a lot of widespread fame and success for Role Model, and it looks like he is set to continue on an upward path, already being confirmed for 2026 festivals such as Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Reading and Leeds in the UK. And, to add to the excitement, fans can look forward to some new music at these shows, as he recently confirmed the Kansas Anymore era comes to an end in February and teased his return to the studio. As an artist who is constantly surprising us, we can’t wait to see what comes next (just don’t let Tucker see this- he’ll think I’m a fan).