From TikTok hits to topping festival line-ups, Pink Pantheress has carved out a niche in modern pop that’s as mysterious as it is magnetic. What began as casual music-making during her film school days has evolved into a genre-bending career that’s seen her rise from bedroom pop darling to almost sharing stages with Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay. In a world of sonic overload, Pink keeps things brief, intimate, and unforgettable.
“My name is Pink, and I’m really glad to meet you.” These mark the opening words of Pink Pantheress’ latest title track, “Illegal”. After what seemed to be a year-long hiatus from touring and producing new music, these lines act as a refresher to the enigma. From seemingly humble beginnings as a mere film student in London, she paved the way for newer entrants into the fizzling pop genre. Most of all, you may have heard her hit “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” featuring Ice Spice, and “Pain”; the latter of which propelled her to the heights of TikTok fame. Pink obtained gradual success in the realm to which she belonged, which many coined “alt-pop” or “bedroom pop”, literally.
There is something magical about Pink Pantheress’ work. For starters, most of her songs average at about 2 minutes, making her releases incredibly short. Being fitting for short-form content, the track length also aids intrigue. We want to hear more, and Pink leaves us with but the allure. Moreover, the intrigue carries over to her choice of samples. Her notable track “Pain” imbibes Erik Satie’s ‘Gymnopedie’ as well as a 2000s track ‘Flowers’, showcasing the vastness of her repertoire. In an interview with Nardwuar, Pink claimed that she usually browses YouTube and then finds whatever tickles her fancy.
One may even consider her music slightly unorthodox with its samples, lengths, and most of all, the idea that she does not make congruent albums. This situation arises from her slightly controversial notion of ‘not listening to albums’. She once tweeted, “all that to say; there is no right or wrong way to consume or make music, it’s people trying to say there is that stops people from enjoying + creating art in whichever form they want.” One truly sees this highlighted in her earlier works, like ‘to hell with it’ and ‘Heaven Knows’, reflecting the intersection of her preference and her work.
In an unfortunate insight relayed by the BBC, she communicated having partial hearing loss in her right ear, deeming her 80% deaf in that ear, and causing her to cancel a performance in 2022. In a more affable sense, her music, being an ode to Drum and Bass, Jungle, and Garage, does not seem to be impacted by this development. Following this, however, Pink’s overwhelming schedule for 2024 led her to step down and take a break to care for her overall well-being. Her absence was met with understanding and patience, one that was rewarded on May 9th 2025, with the release of ‘Fancy That’, a familiar album with the reminiscent early internet-age feel.
Many have complimented Pink’s creativity in a rather underexplored avenue and for forging a path for British music. One YouTube commenter aptly said, “As someone that lives in the UK and being 29 her music was more nostalgic instead of revolutionary…”. By tapping into the current vein of Gen-Z’s novel obsession with their preceding times, Pink Pantheress introduces well-produced tracks and does so in a way that leaves one longing for more. For as long as she refreshes the mind, she is here to stay, so why not give her a listen?
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