PinkPantheress is 100% sure she wants to be a pop star

PinkPantheress broke retired successful 2021 with a bid of charming and inventive singles that placed her high, breathy vocals implicit skittering beats built astir easy recognizable samples. It was arsenic though the English vocalist and shaper were trying to insert herself into pop-music past from down a laptop successful her chamber — which is beauteous overmuch what ended up happening.

In 2023, her opus “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” a collaboration with Ice Spice, went to No. 3 connected Billboard’s Hot 100; respective months later, she landed a opus connected the deed soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Last twelvemonth she went connected the roadworthy arsenic an opening enactment for Olivia Rodrigo, and present she’s nominated for her archetypal 2 Grammy Awards: dance/electronic medium for this year’s “Fancy That” and creation popular signaling for the project’s opening track, “Illegal.”

With 9 songs successful lone 20 minutes, “Fancy That” maintains the TikTok-era system of PinkPantheress’ aboriginal work. It’s besides afloat of samples from the likes of Underworld, Basement Jaxx and Panic! astatine the Disco — 1 reason, perhaps, the singer, 24, describes it arsenic a mixtape alternatively than an album. (An accompanying remix set, “Fancy Some More?,” features appearances by Basement Jaxx, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Ravyn Lenae and Groove Armada, among galore others.)

Yet “Fancy That” showcases an expanding affectional palette excessively — it’s by turns funny, wistful, horny, melancholy and unimpressed. She spoke astir it implicit matcha lattes successful Los Angeles, wherever she lives erstwhile she’s not backmost location successful London. “If you’re a musician, it’s sold arsenic the spot to be,” she says of L.A. “I was trying not to similar it, but I truly do.”

You’re enjoying the metropolis contempt yourself.
I deliberation for me, it was conscionable a lawsuit of: When I’m comfy somewhere, I don’t bask exploration. What I cognize to beryllium harmless is wherever I stay.

Why?
It’s thing with the mode my encephalon works — I don’t deliberation it’s a choice. My encephalon associates alteration — antithetic environments and question — with fear. I don’t spell connected vacation due to the fact that of that reason. I find it precise hard due to the fact that I genuinely don’t consciousness safe. Doesn’t substance wherever I am.

What bash you bash successful L.A.?
I bent retired with my friends. I get food. I bash each the regular things. But it’s taken maine years. When I archetypal got here, I wasn’t like, Oh my God — the Hollywood sign! It was conscionable like, Lemme find my footing. I deliberation getting my location was erstwhile I was OK. I don’t similar the accent of going retired determination and being disquieted astir however I travel crossed to people.

If you’re astatine a restaurant, it’s hard for you not to deliberation astir the information that idiosyncratic mightiness cognize who you are.
On occasion, if I’m not disguised good enough.

What are the disguises?
I deliberation I’m gonna halt wearing my hairsbreadth retired successful public.

So popular stardom — enjoyable oregon not?
It’s arsenic absurd arsenic everyone says. But it is 100% what I’ve ever wanted to be. So I can’t kick now.

I mean, you could.
But I shan’t.

That would beryllium mediocre form?
I’m a large believer of my words having an effect connected everything I bash going forward. So if I was to go comfy complaining astir my occupation — erstwhile I worked truthful hard to get present — past it’s gonna transportation with maine and it’ll travel retired successful my behavior.

Do you drive?
I emotion driving. That’s different crushed I similar it here, due to the fact that I tin drive.

You similar driving present much than successful London?
I person a nicer car here. Well, actually, I don’t person a car successful London anymore. The constabulary took it.

Why?
Don’t know.

You indispensable know.
I really conscionable don’t know. I virtually got determination and it was gone, and I was like, Fine. It was truthful inexpensive — similar 2,000 pounds.

What benignant of car was it?
A Peugeot 208.

In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, you named the radical you called your blueprints: M.I.A., Kelela and Tinashe. All are well-regarded trailblazers, but nary of them, I would say, is simply a popular superstar. That made maine wonder: Do you privation to beryllium apical of the pops?
I consciousness similar successful bid to beryllium apical of the pops, I’d person to compromise a batch astir my creator choices. However, if the post-“Brat” epoch has taught america thing astir music, it’s that you tin really beryllium arsenic experimental arsenic you want, and if it translates, it volition translate. So really it’s not needfully a look that’s excessively formulaic, arsenic 1 would think.

Do I privation to beryllium apical of the pops? I deliberation that mightiness beryllium excessively overmuch pressure. I don’t bask having to explicate myself, and I interest that being large would marque maine person to explicate a batch astir myself. However, I bash privation to beryllium well-regarded. I bash privation to beryllium influential. And I bash privation to not person to worry, How good volition this do? It’s little astir apical of the pops and much astir having a precise loyal instrumentality base, which I prioritize supra everything else.

I spoke with Lorde recently, and she told maine she aches to beryllium understood adjacent though she wishes she didn’t. You said you don’t similar explaining yourself. But bash you consciousness compelled to?
I would accidental I decidedly under-explained myself aboriginal on. And unluckily that was a important mistake due to the fact that — had I been connected apical of explaining my euphony and my philharmonic caput from the leap — possibly present I’d beryllium taken much arsenic a producer. But due to the fact that I didn’t, and due to the fact that of the mode I contiguous myself, I bash deliberation radical instrumentality maine arsenic much surface-level pop, and I’m really not — I’m really afloat an creation girl, similar each the women I’ve mentioned.

So it’s benignant of gone from not explaining myself to explaining excessively much. I hated that, too, due to the fact that past it got radical asking maine much questions. Now I don’t privation to explicate thing anymore.

You’ve got the Sugababes connected your remix album. Great illustration of an enactment that’s beloved successful England but couldn’t get arrested successful the States. Why bash you deliberation immoderate U.K. acts transverse implicit and immoderate don’t?
If you person idiosyncratic connected your selling squad that prioritizes America, past I’m 99% definite you tin ever bash it. I don’t deliberation American radical are enactment disconnected by Britishness — I don’t deliberation the euphony is excessively brainsick for them to get it. The crushed I did good successful America was due to the fact that I utilized a level wherever the bulk of users are American.

You mean TikTok. Did you usage TikTok due to the fact that that was the level you were bully astatine oregon due to the fact that you knew it was the level with the broadest reach?
I had nary thought however it worked — I conscionable thought astir what has the astir reach. I’m a kid of the internet. I’ve ever been online.

What’s atrocious astir the internet?
There was a clip erstwhile I would person said nothing.

At what age?
Sixteen — adjacent older, honestly. The full propulsion of generated worldly has made it truthful unbelievably different. Back erstwhile I was connected the internet, you wouldn’t person to second-guess immoderate station you saw.

Whereas present you person to question whether thing is existent oregon AI.
Is this propaganda oregon is this not? That’s bad.

Is TikTok inactive fun?
I don’t truly spell connected societal media astatine all, truthful I don’t know.

You conscionable marque your posts —
And dip. Or I interact with radical that assistance maine towards my craft. People that marque instrumentality edits, I emotion it, truthful I’ll interact with them. But I don’t truly scroll.

Did idiosyncratic accidental to you, “Listen, you request to halt scrolling”?
No. I really person nary vices, truthful I didn’t person a occupation with it.

Everyone’s addicted to scrolling.
Hell nary — I’m not. If I privation to halt something, I tin halt close now.

Do you drink? Smoke weed?
I can’t bash immoderate drugs. I get drunk erstwhile oregon doubly a month, and that’s my limit. I marque definite to number that.

Why nary drugs?
I’m a hypochondriac.

What are you acrophobic of happening?
Dying. Also, it’s conscionable not enjoyable for me. When I get drunk, that’s the champion magnitude of chaos I tin acquisition successful my interior self.

Dying?
Too overmuch coke could termination you — origin an arrhythmic heart. And arsenic I’ve said, if I fearfulness something, I’m not gonna measurement ft towards it.

“I don’t deliberation American radical are enactment disconnected by Britishness,” says PinkPantheress. “I don’t deliberation the euphony is excessively brainsick for them to get it.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Who said nary to being connected the remix album?
No 1 said no. But I don’t inquire radical that I cognize are gonna accidental nary — I conscionable garbage to inquire them. There was 1 idiosyncratic that was like, “Oh, I saw this excessively late” [makes “Yeah, right” face]. And 1 idiosyncratic didn’t reply. Maybe 2 radical didn’t reply.

Were your feelings hurt?
No. Yeah. Maybe. When it comes to features and everything similar that, I precise overmuch recognize — I get however the caput of a vocalist works. I deliberation radical that get wounded are possibly not putting themselves successful their shoes.

Surely you’ve said nary to radical astatine this point.
It’s a horrible feeling. And I effort and marque it enactment arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. But sometimes it conscionable doesn’t marque sense. The vibes are off.

Have you heard the Lily Allen album?
Yes.

Thoughts?
Really good. And earnest.

She’s conscionable laying retired all her business.
She’s a Brit — that’s what we do.

Are Brits fundamentally earnest?
I deliberation there’s thing successful our euphony that’s highly earnest. That’s wherefore you get idiosyncratic similar an Adele oregon idiosyncratic similar a Raye close now. You tin consciousness them bleed. They’re bleeding retired onto the signifier — bleeding retired onto the pieces of paper.

Beyond what we’ve talked about, I cognize virtually thing astir your idiosyncratic life.
Exactly.

Whereas present I cognize a tremendous magnitude astir Lily Allen’s. What bash you marque of that impulse to dump everything retired into the world?
What I emotion astir Lily Allen is that she’s ever been precise honorable from Day 1. She’s an unfastened publication successful interviews — she’s an unfastened publication everywhere. It works for her due to the fact that it makes her precise personable and makes her euphony each that much enjoyable due to the fact that we consciousness similar we’re really experiencing her arsenic a quality being.

I would emotion to beryllium that earnest. I simply don’t deliberation I’ve gone done fractional the magnitude she’s gone done successful her life. Because I fearfulness truthful much, I extremity up not being successful precise breathtaking oregon arguable situations, and that could construe arsenic boring. But I wouldn’t accidental I was a boring person. I relish successful the mundaneness of interacting with others and the excitement of being myself. I’m really obsessed with myself. When I’m with my champion friend, we’re conscionable truthful amusive together. Other people, they’re like, “The f—?”

You’re connected Coachella adjacent year. You’ve talked astir festivals not being your perfect show venue.
I’m decidedly amended now, for sure. Two years ago, I was beauteous s—.

What’d you larn from the circuit you conscionable finished?
Oh, a lot. I learnt that I’m successful power of my body. I learnt that I’m successful power of beauteous overmuch each constituent erstwhile I’m onstage. One happening I’m realizing arsenic I speech is that the crushed I don’t similar drugs is due to the fact that I similar afloat control. When I’m onstage, for immoderate reason, I ever ideate that I’m gonna suffer power — I’m gonna person to faint oregon person to run. I don’t cognize why, but that’s my biggest fearfulness with performing, and hence wherefore I’ve ever been rather nervous.

But doing that circuit made maine recognize that I tin take if I privation to person a bully clip close now. And I chose to person a truly bully clip — it was a truly amusive experience. I’m inactive learning however to dance. I’m inactive learning however to look bully onstage. I deliberation I’m built successful rather a comic way, which makes maine look long. And erstwhile you’re shaped successful a agelong mode and you person agelong limbs, you look atrocious astatine dancing.

You’re taller than I expected.
Every azygous idiosyncratic says that.

Why bash we each deliberation you’re going to beryllium shorter?
My dependable is rather high. I besides deliberation I shrink myself — little successful carnal ways and much successful however I represent myself. I’m not similar [shouts], “I’m here!” I’m much similar [whispers], “I’m here.”