Whether making rabbits for Chappell Roan or dangling Pink upside down, these professionals build entire worlds for pop’s A-listers. They explain their singular craft

Pop star Chappell Roan has said she doesn’t care about chart performance, radio play or awards, but in the lead-up to the 2025 Grammys, she appealed to witches, wiccans and others with higher power to secure just one nomination for her: best recording package, awarded for album artwork. “It’s not televised, most people don’t know about it, but … this means a lot to me,” she said.

Pleading alongside her was Ramisha Sattar, Roan’s creative director. The design they submitted for Grammys consideration was a set of paper dolls Sattar conceptualised for the first-anniversary edition vinyl of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which can be slotted into the LP’s cardboard sleeve, cut to resemble parted stage curtains. “It feels like a little craft day when you’re putting them together – and that’s what so much of the album behind the scenes looks like for us,” says Sattar now, speaking on a video call.