- Words Mike Vinti
- Photography Tonje Thilesen
"I wanted to revisit the sound of all my favourite early 2000s TRL-era pop heroines like Britney, Xtina, Avril and Ashlee but make it gay as hell."
Poptimism is an all-encompassing phenomenon these days. Where once the cool kids of east London shunned the charts, today they embrace them, reclaiming them as their own. Nowhere has this reclamation been stronger than in the LGBTQ+ community, with artists like SOPHIE and countless others borrowing from the 2000s to create surreal, empowering hyper-pop anthems.
Now Sir Babygirl joins that club with her towering new single ‘Heels’. Premiering on Notion today the track is anthemic as they come, starting slow and building gradually to a soaring chorus that practically drags your ass to the dancefloor. Released via Father/Daughter records it’s a taste of whats in store when her debut album Crush On Me drops early next year. Needless to say, Sir Babygirl has us hooked so we caught up with her to chat ‘Heels’, queer dating and what’s in store for the future. Listen to ‘Heels’ below and read our chat after the jump.
When did you start making music?
It all started with Lisa Simpson…I saw her playing saxophone on The Simpsons and it was over.
What’s the origin story of Sir Babygirl?
I taught myself production because I got sick of relying on male producers to help me bring my bubblegum dreams to fruition. Sonically, I wanted to revisit the sound of all my favourite early 2000s TRL-era pop heroines like Britney, Xtina, Avril and Ashlee but make it gay as hell. The more invested I became in my own sound, the more I started exploring my identity through my lyrics, slowly coming into my queerness. I wanted to be very intentional with pronouns in my writing process and centre my love of women in my music. I think it’s time for more queer women to be icons of their own community :). I wanted a persona that encapsulated the polar extremes of my gender identity (I identify as bisexual and genderqueer) and thus Sir Babygirl, the absurdist, unapologetic, gender-defying cartoon version of myself came into full animation!!
What’s the Sir Babygirl manifesto?
Pop music will save us all if we let her.
Where did ‘Heels’ come from?
‘Heels’ came from my experience entering the queer dating scene and all the specific pain and joy that comes from that. I was coming out of a string of disappointing half relationships that felt like they ended before they could even begin. I wrote this song to attempt to free myself from that cycle but also give myself some closure. ‘Heels’ is about coming to terms with my own boundaries and knowing when to call it a night. The ‘Heels’ chorus, “I’m running home with my heels on my head,” talks about leaving a situation when it’s necessary not when it’s easy, all while trying to process it with a lot of hope for the next day and the next experience.
What’s one thing everyone who listens to your music needs to know?
To strap on, strap in, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride on this here dancefloor!!