If Chelsea Lyn Meyer’s new single, tease, were a person, they’d be that effortlessly cool friend who always knows where the best parties are—and maybe leaves a trail of broken hearts along the way.
Drenched in the electric energy of early 2000s pop-punk but infused with a fresh, unapologetic LGBTQ+ perspective, tease is an anthem that demands to be blasted at full volume with the windows down.
Meyer, a Macungie, PA-based pop-punk powerhouse, has been carving out her own lane since her days with the band 2AM, and tease is another rebellious, infectious notch on her belt. A song about magnetic attraction, playful obsession, and the unspoken tension that simmers between two people who just know they have something undeniable, tease is as much a mood as it is a song.
"tease was written to be a live performance song that people can sing and chant along with," Meyer explains. "It’s just meant to be fun and seductive and let people know that it's okay to have a little 'freak' in you." And freaky fun it is.
From the first punchy guitar riff to the chant-ready chorus, Meyer pulls listeners into a neon-lit whirlwind of chemistry and chaos. Lyrically, it’s an exciting milestone for her career—this is the first track where she openly uses "she/her" pronouns to reflect her identity as an LGBTQ+ artist.
And if that wasn’t enough of a mic-drop moment, here’s another fun fact: Meyer wrote tease on a plane en route to the Mile of Music festival in Appleton, Wisconsin. Just an hour before showtime, she and her drummer workshopped the song in their hotel room, then threw caution to the wind and played it live for the first time on the spot. Now that’s rockstar behavior.
With its seductive swagger and unapologetic energy, tease is exactly the kind of song that would have ruled TRL back in the day—think Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend meets Paramore’s Crushcrushcrush, but with a modern twist. It’s rowdy, it’s raw, and it’s ridiculously catchy. If this is just a taste of what Meyer’s new EP has in store, then buckle up—because we’re in for a hell of a ride.
Tease captures the thrill of attraction in such a bold and playful way. What was the moment or experience that first sparked the idea for this song?
The whole song started with me playing the little “na na na na na na” guitar part. From there, I really wanted to capture the feeling of craving someone so bad that would cause you to beg and do almost anything for their attention and touch, but in a really fun “can’t get enough of you” way. That’s something that I was personally experiencing at the time, and I really wanted this song to express that.
This is the first time you’ve used "she/her" pronouns in a song—how important was it for you to make that statement in your music, and what has the response been like from your fans?
To me, it was incredibly important to use she/her pronouns when referring to the subject of the song. When I first started writing and releasing music, I was told to keep it neutral so a wider audience would relate and follow my music. As I’ve grown as an artist and a person, I’ve come to realize that we need more LGBTQ+ representation in the music industry, and it’s important to be proud of who you are and show others that it’s ok to be proud of who they are as well.
You literally wrote Tease on a plane and performed it live for the first time hours later. That’s some serious pop-punk energy! What was that experience like, and did the audience’s reaction influence the final version of the track?
Thank you! The whole experience was so exciting, but also nerve-racking because we literally had zero idea what this song was going to come out sounding like or what the response would be. The first time we played it, I taught the audience to chant the “Na na na na na na” parts and they were so loud and amazing! We continued to play the song like that, with the audience being fully involved in the singing and chanting. We loved how much fun everyone had with it, that we had some friends come into the studio to help replicate the “Na na na” chants in the song for the recording.
You’ve been called a "pop-punk pioneer" by multiple outlets. What do you think sets your sound apart, and how do you keep your music feeling fresh while still paying homage to the scene’s roots?
I pull a lot of influence from early 2000s pop punk bands and artists, but I also seek out newer artists to listen to. I love hearing hints of some of the OG pop punk bands mixed in with new sounds and styles and I try to do that with my own music as well. I also think it’s important to not listen to strictly one genre. I find I can create my own unique sound more often when I’m listening to all different types of music.
5. With your EP dropping in March and more new music on the way, what can fans expect from this next era of Chelsea Lyn Meyer?
Music that’s raw, honest, and FUN! And songs that make you feel and want to move and sing along. I can’t wait to share my stories with anyone who listens, and I hope they relate to my songs on some level.