Jade Bird Performs Her Riveting New Song ‘Headstart’ on ‘Fallon’

Singer-songwriter Jade Bird performed her recent single “Headstart” on The Tonight Show Monday, January 25th.

The musician began the performance seated on a pool table, swinging her microphone back and forth in time with the song’s lead guitar riff. Bird then hopped off the table and strolled to a studio space where she was handed a guitar and joined the rest of her band as they rolled through the upbeat “Headstart”: “Why’s it so hard?” Bird belts during the chorus, “I’ve given you a headstart/I know us girls aren’t easy/But come on/What do you need to see?/I’ve given you a headstart.”

Bird released “Headstart” last November, and it’s expected to appear on the forthcoming follow-up to her 2019 self-titled debut (a release date and title have yet to be announced). In a statement at the time, Bird said of the track, “It’s quite a light-hearted song, about liking someone who just can’t see the signs, but more than that releasing it feels like a way to give a bit of joy to the end of the year. It feels like community to me, and it makes me want to sing again.”

A few months prior to releasing “Headstart,” Bird linked up with Brent Cobb for a new duet, “Feet Off the Ground.”