In college, I took a songwriting class, and our first assignment was to write a mission statement for our project. “Head Cheerleader” was an effort to lean into the overarching trope that makes Pom Pom Squad what it is—almost like parodying myself. Heart-shaped lockets and scary cheerleaders and young adult chaos and self-discovery and deep ungraceful discomfort.

I was also in a really complicated relationship at the time that really pushed me to come face-to-face with my sexual identity in a way I never had before. I had this realization that the life I was living was designed around receiving attention and validation from men — something I never truly wanted. The result of that realization was like stepping out of an old skin. It changed the way I behaved in every aspect of my life. I was finally making decisions toward my own self actualization instead of for other people’s perception. It was terrifying and exciting and necessary. This song feels like a celebration of the discomfort that comes with stepping into your new skin — your own power.

I met Tegan [Quin, who sings backing vocals] through a semi-viral tweet I had about racial equity, and honestly I’m still amazed that we’re friends. Having her be a part of this song is extremely surreal—I saw Tegan and Sara twice when I was in high school. The first time, I was fifteen. I went with a friend who was always taking me out on secret dates with the dumbest boys. While we were in line, she dared me to hit on a girl…little did she know…thinking back to that time, I never thought I would interact with the people on that stage—let alone that one of them would sing on my song.

—via Consequence