"Tonight" is a song by English singer PinkPantheress, released digitally through

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

on 4 April 2025 as the lead single from her second

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, '' Fancy That'' (2025). It was released to Italian

radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

on 11 April 2025. PinkPantheress wrote and produced the track with Aksel Arvid and Count Baldor. Musically, "Tonight" is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

track that features

synthesiser A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s. It samples orchestral

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

s and

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

s from

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 ...

's song "Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" from their album '' Pretty. Odd.'' (2008). In the lyrics, the narrator flirts with and makes sexual advances toward a crush. Music critics generally praised "Tonight" for its production, with several publications selecting it as one of the best songs of its release week. The music video for "Tonight", directed by Charlotte Rutherford, accompanied the song's release. The

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

–inspired video contains several fashion and aesthetic choices that evoke the

Regency era The Regency era of British history is commonly understood as the years between and 1837, although the official regency for which it is named only spanned the years 1811 to 1820. King George III first suffered debilitating illness in the lat ...

and the television series ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...

''. It depicts PinkPantheress and her friends hosting a rowdy party at a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

, where they kiss passionately and engage in

pillow fight A pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children (but also by teens and adults) in which they engage in mock physical conflict, using pillows as weapons. Pillow fights often occur during children's sleepovers. Since pillows ...

Background and release

PinkPantheress released her debut

, '' To Hell with It'', on 15 October 2021, followed by her debut studio album, '' Heaven Knows'', on 10 November 2023. She revealed that she was working on new music in July 2024, before cancelling her remaining 2024 concerts to focus on her health. She tweeted images of herself in a studio in January 2025, writing, "Oh, we are soooo back! ..Thanks for waiting on me". In an interview with ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

'' in March of that year, she said that she had been writing about "letting expectations go" and "trying to strike a balance between being a pop star and also being experimental". PinkPantheress released "Tonight" digitally on 4 April 2025 as the lead single from her second

, ''Fancy That'' (2025).

released it to Italian

on 11 April 2025. "Tonight" reached the national charts of the United Kingdom (35) and Ireland (88). In the United States, it peaked at number 5 on the

Hot Dance/Pop Songs The Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' beginning in January 2025. A sister chart to their Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, the creation of the Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart was announced on December 10, 2024. The cha ...

chart and number 25 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. "Tonight" additionally reached number 7 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart, number 12 on the Japan Hot Overseas chart, and number 65 on the Lithuania Airplay chart.

Production and composition

PinkPantheress wrote and produced "Tonight" with Aksel Arvid and Count Baldor. The track samples orchestral

s and

s from

's song "Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" from their album '' Pretty. Odd.'' (2008), written by Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Jon Walker. PinkPantheress engineered and programmed "Tonight" with Arvid, while Phil provided additional production. The song was mixed by Nickie Jon Pabón and mastered by Joe LaPorta. "Tonight" is 2 minutes and 56 seconds long. Prior to the song's release, PinkPantheress wrote on

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 ...

, "Ion wanna see no more song length jokes after this song comes out on Friday," alluding to her songs usually being about 2 minutes and 30 seconds long. "Tonight" is a

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

–driven

and

song with a "bouncy" beat. The track begins with orchestral strings before transitioning into its dance–heavy production. The song's flirty lyrics are addressed to the narrator's shy crush, such as in its

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

("You want sex with me/Come talk to me").

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.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 PinkPantheress's vocals on the song were "almost nonchalant".

Critical reception

Music critics generally praised "Tonight" for its production and selected it as one of the best songs of its release week. Robin Murray of '' Clash'' dubbed it a "ridiculously infectious ..dose of pop futurism that arrives with a sly grin on its face." Zachary Horvath from ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...

'' thought that it exemplified PinkPantheress's "addicting" production style and "wildly entrancing" vocal delivery, praising its "groovy" bassline and "colorful" instrumental. Elaina Bernstein from Hypebeast, Derrick Rossignol from ''

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

'', and the editorial staff of '' Consequence'' selected "Tonight" as one of the best songs of its release week. ''Consequence'' staff praised PinkPantheress's "feathery" vocals and the combination of

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

strings with club–driven beats. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' listed "Tonight" as one of their "R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week", with Michael Saponara lauding its bassline and mature narrative. '' Wonderland'' similarly lauded its production and "playful" lyrics, including "Tonight" on their list of the best newly released songs.

Music video

The music video for "Tonight", directed by Charlotte Rutherford, was released on 4 April 2025, the same day as the song's release. The costumes in the

–inspired video incorporate

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

s, powdered wigs, and

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

s, which journalists described as reminiscent of the

, the television series ''

'', and the 2006 film ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

''. The video depicts PinkPantheress and her friends riding on bicycles and carriages to a

, where they throw a chaotic party, kiss passionately, and engage in

s. At the party, a DJ spins records on a

phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

, a woman's hair sets on fire, and a man inside of a portrait steps out of it.

Credits and personnel

Credits shown below are adapted from

Qobuz Qobuz (, commonly mispronounced: ), often stylized as qobuz) is a French digital music store and streaming service, launched in 2007 by Alexandre Leforestier and Yves Riesel. Qobuz is now owned by Xandrie SA. In June 2023, Qobuz offers over 100 ...

. * PinkPantheress – vocals, songwriter, producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...

* Aksel Arvid – songwriter, producer, engineer, programmer * Count Baldor – songwriter, producer * Joe LaPorta –

mastering engineer Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the Audio mixing (recorded music), final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source ...

* Nickie Jon Pabón –

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Phil – additional producer * Brendon Urie – songwriter * Ryan Ross – songwriter * Spencer Smith – songwriter * Jon Walker – songwriter

Charts

Footnotes

References

{{PinkPantheress PinkPantheress songs 2025 singles Dance-pop songs House music songs Song recordings produced by Count Baldor Songs written by Brendon Urie Songs written by Jon Walker Songs written by PinkPantheress Songs written by Ryan Ross Songs written by Spencer Smith (musician) UK garage songs