Victoria Beverley Walker (born 19 April 2001), known professionally as PinkPantheress, is a British singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music is noted for its various samples and diaristic lyrics.
Born in
Bath, Somerset
Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...
, and raised in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, PinkPantheress began her musical career in 2021 while attending university in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, where she produced songs using
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software application by Apple Inc., Apple for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or Podcast, podcasts. It is a lighter, amateur-oriented offshoot of Logic Pro. GarageBand was originally released for ...
and posted them on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
and
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
. Several of them, including "
Break It Off
"Break It Off" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her second studio album '' A Girl like Me'' (2006), and features guest vocals from Sean Paul. It was written by Donovan Bennett, Paul, K. Ford and Rihanna, while production was handled b ...
", became popular on TikTok, and she signed to
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
and
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
and released her debut mixtape ''
To Hell with It
''To Hell with It'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the debut mixtape by English singer PinkPantheress, released through Parlophone and Elektra Records on 15 October 2021. The mixtape, which runs for slightly over 18 minutes, features production f ...
'' later that year. She won
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
Sound of 2022 poll after the singles "
Just for Me
"Just for Me" is a song by English singer PinkPantheress. Written alongside producer Mura Masa, it was released on 13 August 2021 through Parlophone and Elektra Records, Elektra as the fourth single from her debut mixtape ''To Hell with It''. ...
" and "
Pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
" peaked in the top 40 of the
UK Singles Chart. Her 2022 single "
Boy's a Liar
"Boy's a Liar" is a song by British singer PinkPantheress. Released on 30 November 2022 through Warner Records as a single, it was later included on her extended play, '' Take Me Home'', in February 2023. Written and produced by her and Mura ...
" reached number two in the UK.
PinkPantheress's debut studio album, ''
Heaven Knows'' (2023), spawned the UK top-20 song "
Nice to Meet You and the single "
Boy's a Liar Pt. 2"—a remix of 2022's "Boy's a Liar" with American rapper
Ice Spice
Isis Naija Gaston (born January1, 2000), known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she began her musical career during college in 2020, after meeting record producer ...
—which peaked at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. ''Heaven Knows'' was accompanied by her headlining Capable of Love Tour the following year. Her second mixtape, ''
Fancy That
''Fancy That'' is the second mixtape by English singer-songwriter and record producer PinkPantheress. It was released on 9 May 2025 through Warner Records. It marks her second mixtape release, following her debut mixtape '' To Hell with It'' (2 ...
'' (2025), spawned the UK top-40 single "
Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
".
PinkPantheress has been nominated for three
Brit Awards and was named
Producer of the Year
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...
by
''Billboard'' Women in Music in 2024. Her songs, which are frequently short in length and include samples of music from the 1990s and 2000s, span a number of genres, including
alt-pop
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
bedroom pop
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or music production, production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a delibe ...
,
drum and bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
, and
2-step garage
2-step garage, or simply 2-step, is a genre of electronic music and a subgenre of UK garage.''A transcription of this article is availablhere as a PDF file.'' One of the primary characteristics of the 2-step sound – the term being coined to de ...
.
Early life
Victoria Beverley Walker was born on 19 April 2001 in
Bath, Somerset
Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...
,
to a
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
n
Luo Luo or LUO may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luol ...
mother from
Kisumu
Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...
, who works as a
carer
A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living. Caregivers who are members of a care recipient's family or social network, who may have specific professional training, are o ...
, and an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
father, who works as a
statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
professor.
She has one older brother, who works as an
audio engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...
. She is related to English chess player
Susan Lalic
Susan Kathryn Lalic (née Walker; born 28 October 1965) is an English chess player, holding both International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) titles. She is five-time British Women's Chess Champion: 1986, 1990–1992, and 1998.
Career ...
, with her mentioning that "my family are all chess players." When she was five years old, her family moved from Bath to
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
,
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, where she grew up.
Her father moved to the United States to work at a university in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, when she was 12 years old, while she and her mother stayed in England.
Walker took piano lessons as a child, and, at age 12, sang "
Stand by Me" by
Ben E. King at a school talent show. When she was 14 years old, she became the lead singer in a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band, which covered songs by
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...
,
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
, and
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
, and performed with them for the first time at a school
fête
In the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, a fête or fete is a public festival organised to raise money for a charity, typically held outdoors. It generally includes entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Fetes are ty ...
.
She studied film at the
University of the Arts London
The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of ...
until 2022, when she dropped out.
Career
2019–2021: Career Beginnings and ''To Hell with It''
Walker started writing music in high school to help a friend before eventually writing music on her own.
At age 17, she began using
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software application by Apple Inc., Apple for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or Podcast, podcasts. It is a lighter, amateur-oriented offshoot of Logic Pro. GarageBand was originally released for ...
to produce instrumentals for her friend, fellow singer Mazz, and she later used GarageBand to record many of her early songs while lying down in her university hall late at night.
She started uploading original songs of hers to
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
as PinkPantheress, where they received little attention. After a video posted to her personal
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
account in December 2020 received over 500,000 likes, she posted a snippet of her song "Just a Waste", which used the instrumental from
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
's song "
Off the Wall
''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met ...
", as PinkPantheress later that month in the hopes of reaching a wider audience; the snippet soon went viral on the platform.
Two of PinkPantheress's songs, the
Adam F
Adam Fenton (born 8 February 1972), also known as Adam F, is an English record producer and DJ who has worked across various genres. He is also the co-founder of the drum and bass label Breakbeat Kaos along with DJ Fresh. He found initial succe ...
–sampling "
Break It Off
"Break It Off" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her second studio album '' A Girl like Me'' (2006), and features guest vocals from Sean Paul. It was written by Donovan Bennett, Paul, K. Ford and Rihanna, while production was handled b ...
" and the
Sweet Female Attitude
Sweet Female Attitude are an electronic music act from Manchester, England. They are known for the UK garage remix by Sunship of their track "Flowers", written by Martin Green a.k.a. Shine MC and Mike Powell, which reached number two on the ...
–sampling "
Pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
", went viral on TikTok in early 2021, with the latter peaking at number 35 on the
UK Singles Chart in August of that year.
She was signed to
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
in April 2021. In June 2021, she was featured on
GoldLink
D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his debut mixtape ''The God Complex'' (2014), which was ...
's song "Evian" from his studio album ''Haram!'' and signed to
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
.
After a snippet of her song "
Just for Me
"Just for Me" is a song by English singer PinkPantheress. Written alongside producer Mura Masa, it was released on 13 August 2021 through Parlophone and Elektra Records, Elektra as the fourth single from her debut mixtape ''To Hell with It''. ...
", produced by
Mura Masa
Alexander George Edward Crossan (born 5 April 1996), better known by his stage name Mura Masa, is a Guernsey-born electronic record producer and songwriter. Crossan is best known for his 2016 song " Lovesick" (featuring ASAP Rocky), which pea ...
, gained attention on TikTok, she released it in August 2021, along with a music video co-directed by her and released the following month. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 27, making it her highest entry on the UK Singles Chart at the time. It earned PinkPantheress nominations for an
iHeartRadio Music Award
The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platform. Founded by iHeartRadio in 2014, the eve ...
, an
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
, and two
NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding o ...
. In early October 2021, she announced the release date and title of her debut mixtape, ''
To Hell with It
''To Hell with It'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the debut mixtape by English singer PinkPantheress, released through Parlophone and Elektra Records on 15 October 2021. The mixtape, which runs for slightly over 18 minutes, features production f ...
'', which was released on 15 October 2021 through Parlophone and Elektra Records and debuted at number 20 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. The mixtape was preceded by "Pain", "Break It Off", and "Just for Me" as singles, as well as "
Passion
Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to:
Emotion
* Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing
* Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions
* Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...
", released in July 2021, and "I Must Apologise", released in October 2021.
PinkPantheress performed live for the first time in October and November 2021 in London.
2022–present: Breakthrough, ''Heaven Knows'', and ''Fancy That''
In January 2022, PinkPantheress was announced as the winner of
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
Sound of 2022 poll. That same month, she released a
remix album
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
for ''To Hell with It''. She was nominated for the
Brit Award for Song of the Year
The Brit Award for Song of the Year is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebr ...
at the
42nd Brit Awards
Brit Awards 2022, presented by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), was held on 8 February 2022 to recognize the best in British and international music. The ceremony took place at The O2 Arena in London, and was hosted by British comedian ...
for "
Obsessed With You" by
Central Cee
Oakley Neil Caesar-Su (born 4 June 1998), known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. Regarded as a leading figure in UK rap, he rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of his drill singles "Day i ...
, which sampled her song "Just for Me", and gave a virtual performance on
Roblox
Roblox (, ) is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users. It was created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 200 ...
for the Brit Awards.
She appeared on the song "Bbycakes" with
Mura Masa
Alexander George Edward Crossan (born 5 April 1996), better known by his stage name Mura Masa, is a Guernsey-born electronic record producer and songwriter. Crossan is best known for his 2016 song " Lovesick" (featuring ASAP Rocky), which pea ...
,
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they gained initial recognition following the release of the commer ...
, and
Shygirl
Blane Muise (born 4 May 1993), better known by her stage name Shygirl, is an English singer, Disc jockey, DJ, rapper, songwriter and co-head/founder of record label and collective Nuxxe. Shygirl's music incorporates elements of dance music, hip ...
in February 2022, and released her song "
Where You Are" featuring
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
in April 2022. That same month, PinkPantheress went on a European tour in support of ''To Hell with It''. She was featured on "Tinkerbell is Overrated", a song from
Beabadoobee
Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus (born 3 June 2000), known professionally as Beabadoobee (; '), is a British singer-songwriter. From 2018 to 2021, she released five extended plays (EPs) under the independent label Dirty Hit: ''Lice'' (2018), ''Patc ...
's second album, ''
Beatopia
''Beatopia'' is the second studio album by Filipino-English singer and songwriter Beabadoobee. It was released on English independent label Dirty Hit on 15 July 2022. It features collaborations with singer PinkPantheress, Matty Healy and Geor ...
'', released in July 2022. She performed as an opening act on
Halsey's
Love and Power Tour throughout the spring of 2022 on the American leg. In June 2022, she cancelled her scheduled appearance at the
Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...
festival in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
due to hearing loss.
She released the single "Picture in My Mind" featuring
Sam Gellaitry
Sam Gellaitry (born 6 January 1997) is a British record producer, DJ, and songwriter who is currently signed to Parlophone.
Early life
Gellaitry was born in Stirling in 1997. He comes from a family of musicians, with his mother previously play ...
in August 2022. Her
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
''
Take Me Home'' was released in December 2022, featuring the singles "
Boy's a Liar
"Boy's a Liar" is a song by British singer PinkPantheress. Released on 30 November 2022 through Warner Records as a single, it was later included on her extended play, '' Take Me Home'', in February 2023. Written and produced by her and Mura ...
" and "Do You Miss Me", both released a month prior, and the title track.
"Way Back", her collaborative single with
Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
and
Trippie Redd
Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music.
His de ...
, was released in January 2023 and included on Skrillex's album ''
Don't Get Too Close'' the following month. In February 2023, she released a remix of "Boy's a Liar", "
Boy's a Liar Pt. 2", with American rapper
Ice Spice
Isis Naija Gaston (born January1, 2000), known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she began her musical career during college in 2020, after meeting record producer ...
. After becoming popular on TikTok, the remix debuted at number 14 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her first song to appear on the chart, and later peaked at number three. It also peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, where it became her highest-charting single.
It was
certified platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), marking her first RIAA certification, and was nominated for two
BET Awards
The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...
, an
MTV EMA
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
, and a
Streamy Award
The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are an awards show presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and wri ...
.
"
Angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
", her addition to
the soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...
for the
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
–directed 2023 film ''
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
'', was released as a single in June 2023. Her collaborative single "Turn Your Phone Off" with
Destroy Lonely
Bobby Wardell Sandimanie III (born July 30, 2001), known professionally as Destroy Lonely, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. His first full-length album, ''If Looks Could Kill (Destroy Lonely album), If Looks Could Kill'' (2023), pea ...
was released in July 2023, and she was featured alongside Hyunjin of the
K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
group
Stray Kids
Stray Kids (often abbreviated to SKZ; ) is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The band consists of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han (musician), Han, Felix (rapper), Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. For un ...
on a remix of the
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with Universal Music Australia, EMI Australia in 2013 and ...
song "
Rush" in August 2023.
In October 2023, PinkPantheress announced her debut album, ''
Heaven Knows'', which was released on 10 November 2023. The lead single from the album, "
Mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
", was released in September, followed by the singles "Capable of Love" and "
Nice to Meet You" in October and November, respectively. That same month, she announced the Capable of Love Tour for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, spanning from February–April 2024, with North American dates added later on in November. The North American leg was produced by
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
. In February 2024, she was honored as Producer of the Year by
''Billboard'' Women in Music. She performed as an opener on
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...
's
Guts World Tour
The Guts World Tour is the ongoing second concert tour by American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo in support of her second studio album, ''Guts (Olivia Rodrigo album), Guts'' (2023). It began on February 23, 2024, at the Acrisure ...
in the summer of 2024 until announcing the cancellation of all of her remaining live performances in August of that year, citing health reasons. She was featured on a remix of K-pop group
Le Sserafim
Le Sserafim ( ; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music, a sub-label of Hybe Corporation, Hybe. The group consists of five members: Sakura Miyawaki, Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae. ...
's song "
Crazy
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...
" released in September 2024.
In January 2025, PinkPantheress was featured on
Shygirl
Blane Muise (born 4 May 1993), better known by her stage name Shygirl, is an English singer, Disc jockey, DJ, rapper, songwriter and co-head/founder of record label and collective Nuxxe. Shygirl's music incorporates elements of dance music, hip ...
's single "True Religion" alongside
Isabella Lovestory
Isabella Rodríguez Rivera (born 30 November 1993), known professionally as Isabella Lovestory, is a Honduran pop and reggaeton singer based in Montreal, Canada. Her music has been described as ''perreo''-pop.
In 2020 Lovestory gained recogn ...
. Her first solo single of 2025, "
Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
", was released in April with a
Regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
–inspired music video. Her second mixtape, ''
Fancy That
''Fancy That'' is the second mixtape by English singer-songwriter and record producer PinkPantheress. It was released on 9 May 2025 through Warner Records. It marks her second mixtape release, following her debut mixtape '' To Hell with It'' (2 ...
'', was released on 9 May 2025, with "Tonight" as its lead single.
Artistry
Influences

PinkPantheress's stage name was taken from her TikTok account of the same name, which was inspired by a question from the game show ''
The Chase'' that asked "What is a female panther called?" and by ''
The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...
'' film series.
PinkPantheress has listed
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology.
While attending the ...
,
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
,
Kelela
Kelela Mizanekristos (, , ) (born June 4, 1983) is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape ''Cut 4 Me.'' In 2015, she released ''Hallucinogen'', an EP which deals with the beginning, m ...
, and
Kate Nash
Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English musician and actress from North Harrow. Her singles "Foundations (song), Foundations" (2007) and "Do-Wah-Doo" (2010) charted at numbers 2 and 15 on the UK singles chart and her albums ''Made of Bri ...
as her biggest influences, alongside other artists such as
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...
,
Just Jack
Jack Christopher Allsopp (born 12 May 1975), known by the stage name Just Jack, is an English musician from Camden Town, London. He first came to prominence with the release of his 2007 single " Starz in Their Eyes", which reached number two on ...
,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
,
Kaytranada
Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian music producer, rapper, singer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of m ...
and
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...
.
She has also cited K-pop songs,
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
,
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band formed in Waldorf, Maryland, in 1995. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (guitar, vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (guitar, keyboards), and ...
,
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
, early
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...
,
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
, and
Frou Frou as inspirations for her melodies and beat choices.
She has called
Hayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and only constant member of the rock band Paramore, which she co-founded in 2004.
Williams was born and raised in Meridian, Miss ...
a "big influence" on her as a performer and said that she first wanted to become a professional musician when she was 14 years old after seeing Williams perform as part of
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
during
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
and that she is "doing music because of
illiams.
She has also stated that she was inspired by an interview with
Doja Cat
Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...
to pursue music as a career, and was inspired to post her songs on TikTok by
Lil Nas X
Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...
.
Musical style
PinkPantheress's music has been described as
R&B,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
,
bedroom pop
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or music production, production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a delibe ...
,
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
alt-pop
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
drum and bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
,
2-step,
jungle
jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...
, and
hyperpop
Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...
,
and often uses samples of other songs, such as dance music from the 1990s and 2000s and
jungle
jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...
,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
,
UK garage
UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...
, and pop songs.
PinkPantheress uses
topline writing to write her songs, which are frequently self-produced and short in length.
She has attributed the shorter length of her songs, which customarily range from two to three minutes long, to her belief that a song does not need to be longer than two minutes and thirty seconds or to have a bridge, a repeated verse, or an extended outro. She has described her own music as alt-pop and "a form of D'n'B that's acceptable to listen to at home",
and has stated that she writes "sadder", "dark" lyrics to "appeal to the youth",
often to contrast them with her "happy instrumentals". PinkPantheress has said that her lyrics are usually not based on personal experiences, stating, "A lot of it just comes because I really like storytelling."
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's Vanessa Handy called
breakbeat
Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...
loops a "signature of
inkPantheress'swork",
while Kieran Press-Reynolds of ''
Insider
Insider(s) or The Insider(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* ''Insiders'', a comic series by Mark Millar and Paul Grist, published in ''Crisis''
* The Insiders, a team of DC Comics characters in the Brainiac stories
* ''I ...
'' also wrote that her songs regularly have "fast-paced breakbeats" and "
ASMR
An autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)Marsden, Rhodri (20 July 2012), ''The Independent''. is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it ...
-like refrains".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''s Keegan Brady described PinkPantheress's music as "alt-girl
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...
" and wrote that she uses "confessional, almost treacly rap-singing" and "dated production technology" in her songs which "tap
into a deeply nostalgic sound that conjures the height of Nineties U.K. culture".
''
DIY''s Georgia Evans called her "DIY aesthetic that started as GarageBand experimentation" a signature of her music.
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Michael Cragg described PinkPantheress's vocals as "sweet but unsettling",
while
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that she "sounds like she's flirting and aching all at once."
Cat Zhang of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' called PinkPantheress's voice "angelic", "girlish", and "slight" and wrote that she was "one of the rare TikTok artists whose internet fame seems proportional to their potential".
Felicity Martin of ''
Dazed
''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...
'' called her lyrics "sad" and "wistful".
Writing for ''
Nylon
Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups.
Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...
'', Steffanee Wang called her music "a collage of sounds that fell
icsimultaneously dated and contemporary", adding that listening to it "feels like being on the internet before social media was a thing". ''Insider''s Kieran Press-Reynolds wrote that PinkPantheress gave up-tempo electronic music genres like drum and bass an "introspective, romantic bedroom sound" with her "hushed" vocals.
Personal life and public image
Walker has discussed experiencing
body dysmorphia
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), also known in some contexts as dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder defined by an overwhelming preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one's physical appearance. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined ...
from a young age.
She also suffers from gradual
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
, which initially began as
tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...
, from exposure to loud music and
microphone feedback. She reported being 80% deaf in her right ear in 2022 and has described voices as sounding "mostly like bass".
Her views on music, including on song lengths and her stating that she does not listen to albums in full, have prompted criticism and discussion on social media.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Heaven Knows'' (2023)
Extended plays
* ''
Take Me Home'' (2022)
Mixtapes
* ''
To Hell with It
''To Hell with It'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the debut mixtape by English singer PinkPantheress, released through Parlophone and Elektra Records on 15 October 2021. The mixtape, which runs for slightly over 18 minutes, features production f ...
'' (2021)
* ''
Fancy That
''Fancy That'' is the second mixtape by English singer-songwriter and record producer PinkPantheress. It was released on 9 May 2025 through Warner Records. It marks her second mixtape release, following her debut mixtape '' To Hell with It'' (2 ...
'' (2025)
Awards and nominations
Listicles
Tours
Headlining
*United Kingdom & EU Tour (2022)
*PinkAcrossAmerica Tour (2022)
*Down Under Tour (2023)
*The Capable of Love Tour (2024)
Supporting
*
Halsey –
Love and Power Tour (2022)
*
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...
–
Guts World Tour
The Guts World Tour is the ongoing second concert tour by American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo in support of her second studio album, ''Guts (Olivia Rodrigo album), Guts'' (2023). It began on February 23, 2024, at the Acrisure ...
(2024)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2001 births
Living people
21st-century Black British women singers
21st-century English women singers
Alternative R&B musicians
Alumni of the University of the Arts London
Bedroom pop musicians
British women record producers
Deaf musicians
Electronic music singers
Elektra Records artists
English deaf people
English drum and bass musicians
English women pop singers
English women singer-songwriters
English people of Kenyan descent
English record producers
Hyperpop musicians
Musicians from Bath, Somerset
Musicians from Canterbury
Musicians from Kent
Parlophone artists
UK garage singers