With a music video directed by Joanna Nordahl, “Cheerleader” was the final single released in the lead-up to Ashnikko’s debut album “Weedkiller,” released in August. Snails crawl and pyres are lit as the video flashes between trail cam-style footage of the singer cryptically wandering about a dark forest, and more conventional dance numbers in a mist-cloaked mossy grove.

 

Ashnikko described the track as a response to the “sickness” of objectifying women and feminine-presenting people online, and the visceral dread of being constantly watched and judged by others. As a former cheerleader, they commented in interviews about the paradox of cheerleading requiring “Olympic-level” athleticism in addition to a perfect feminine presentation.