PinkPantheress
The Met
858 N Broad St.
Philadelphia
May 10, 2026
Yet again, I’m in a situation where my musical interests converge with that of a demographic I don’t belong to. PinkPantheress’ rise to pop stardom in the last five years has been exciting for me, regardless. Her deep appreciation for UK garage, 2000’s pop, rap, club culture, and emo all converge in a way I never could have imagined, and she continually synthesizes all of these influences into a sound that feels fresh and familiar all at once. While some may try to dismiss her as the newest flavor of bubblegum pop, I see her music as the work of someone with a profound knowledge of music history and culture, and the talent to execute it at a level that has made the world take notice.
PinkPanthress on “Tiktok Music”
PinkPantheress - Capable of love (Official Video)
Entering The Met, which by the way was an added performance after selling out the venue the night before within minutes of tickets going on sale, I was huddled among hordes of attendees of all ages dressed in red and black, the color scheme for PinkPantheress’ newest mixtape Fancy That. While making the Sisyphean ascent to the mezzanine, I passed a number of younger fans congregating in the stairwells making Tik Toks and taking pictures to commemorate the experience. Though characteristic behavior for their age group, as it was when I was that age, I did feel especially old as I huffed and puffed my way up what felt like an endless amount of steps. I also don’t often notice people making Tik Toks in real life, and it’s inexplicably jarring every time I do, despite having very much grown up in the culture of hyper-documentation ushered in by the advent of MySpace.
Cece Natalie began her performance with a slow glide center-stage, clutching a burlesque fan in each hand. My hopes for incorporated choreography were dashed when she promptly threw them both down before the first song began. What followed was a few different flavors of current pop influence; as I watched I heard a lot of sonic similarities between her and artists like Brooke Candy, Kim Petras, and Namasenda in each song. The synthy, trap pop sound often works for me as it did here, but the performance lacked presence.
Cece Natalie’s movements were largely confined to pacing back and forth and crawling onstage, and while I’m not expecting a gymnastics routine, it kind of felt like I was watching something more akin to a Scheana Marie performance. I think we need to have DIY in other genres of music so that people can develop their live presence before being thrust into huge, high-pressure show settings. She did bring the fans back at different points, and even threw in some light choreo during a song called “Fancy,” and I thought that was pretty clever. She would’ve definitely benefitted from some backup dancers, but I also understand that this economy is fucked up.
PinkPantheress has hits, brother. Her hour and 15 minute set spanned her two mixtapes, last year’s Fancy That and 2021’s To Hell With It, as well as her sole album, 2023’s Heaven Knows, and there was not a moment throughout that I wasn’t completely engaged. Not only have a number of her songs become cultural moments, like the Ice Spice-featured “Boy’s A Liar pt.2,” the mega-viral “Illegal,” the breakout “Just For Me,” and the Barbie Movie soundtrack standout “Angel,” to name a handful, but each song has its own distinct presence. PinkPantheress definitively has her own sound, but she pulls influence from so many musical and cultural traditions that it never ends up sounding samey.
PinkPantheress - Ophelia (Visualiser)
PinkPantheress, Ice Spice - Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 (Official Video)
Her music is also uniquely European, but still very Black. “Angel” specifically holds a special place in my heart through its cross-culturalism, and I think it’s one of the most important songs of this decade. I find the combination of Irish step and breakbeat deeply inspiring and I believe it needs to be studied in music schools. Considering the shared history of subjugation and struggle of Irish and Black english people in the UK, I see the song as a subtle political statement about the cultural unity of oppressed people under colonial rule. From the first time I heard the song, I peeped the intention, and was then validated in my initial assessment when I saw the livestream of the Camp Flog Gnaw performance linked below. I deadass wanted to cry when that step dancer crashed the set. There aren’t many other artists that I know of whose music blends cultures and genres in this way; the closest current equivalent I can think of is Bad Bunny. It makes me emotional when I see other artists with this same reverence for culture — and what it means to masses of otherwise voiceless people — fearlessly centering that in their work. Like, this is literally the point of art.
PINKPANTHERESS - CAMP FLOG GNAW 2023
On her Wikipedia page, someone aptly described PinkPantheress’ music and image as “affable,” and throughout her performance nothing came through clearer. One of her main strengths is her relatability. I remember reading a tweet that said that she dresses like a substitute teacher, a joke that came to mind when she asked if anyone in the audience had been to her performance the previous night, remarking “Ooh, you lot have money to spend!” at the scattered cheers in response. Her stage work was paced perfectly, timing outfit and set location changes with features from other artists or her own in other artists’ songs. I hope Cece Natalie was taking notes side stage. I also loved how she allowed herself breaks by giving time to her backup dancers to take solos between songs. Even her DJ, who alongside a live drummer were the sole members of her backing band, was hitting steps during the songs.
The last thing I’ll say is that PinkPantheress also achieved something with me in this performance that no other artist has. This is the first time I’ve ever wished I was at a music festival. Seeing her in a theater like The Met is relatively comfortable, but there is something about an open air setting that would have made this a much more communal experience for the entire crowd, not just those with pit tickets. PinkPantheress’ music is unifying and fun, the kind that makes you friendly with the strangers next to you while you watch and sing along. Having to decide when to stand because of staggered mezzanine seating complicates the experience, especially when you’re sharing it with an audience who is largely too young to have ever heard the phrase, “Down in front!” Despite the fact that her is only six years old, she is already too powerful to be contained to a venue with a roof. I will also be astounded if these videos don’t get flagged.
