In the summer of 2021, British singer/songwriter PinkPantheress dropped "Pain," a wounded-soul cinematic miniature. Clocking in at less than two minutes of length, the track sampled UK garage duo Sweet Female Attitude, and the haunting chord progression of Erik Satie’s "Gymnopédie No. 1."

Pink was only 20 at the time, but she already showed an extraordinary gift for painting colors with sound and using pop songs as a confessional diary (the la-la-las in the song’s second half were a nod to a bout of writer’s block.) Two years later, the remix "Boy’s a liar Pt. 2" — a bubblegum gem featuring rapper Ice Spice and co-produced by Mura Masa — went viral. It would go on to reach one billion Spotify streams.

Fortunately, global success hasn’t hampered the singer’s appetite for experimentation, which was already evident in her 2023 debut album, the critically acclaimed Heaven Knows. Released earlier this year, the mixtape Fancy That is one of the most fully realized and exhilarating releases of 2025 thus far.

Its nine cuts veer from the cosmopolitan two-step velvet of "Illegal" to the chilled decadence of "Tonight" and the heart wrenching vulnerability of "Nice to Know You." Pink’s voice is the album’s emotional compass — graceful and conversational, marked by a lilting British accent. If anything, this new release confirms her as one of the most intriguing artists to emerge from the U.K. in the past decade.

A few months before returning to the U.S. for some select concert dates, the artist born Victoria Beverley Walker spoke with GRAMMY.com about her songwriting methods, her obsession with UK garage, and the challenges of transposing such an ornate sonic universe into the live stage.

Fancy That is so exquisitely layered. How obsessive are you about crafting your songs?

I would say I’m a perfectionist 95 percent of the time, but I also allow a 5 percent for the occasional error to slip through. Otherwise it would all sound a bit too polished. I’ve noticed my fans prefer my original intention, so I’ve learned to trust my instincts.

The sound design on "Illegal" is awesome. The sharp, staccato drum ’n’ bass beat is in a completely different frequency than the thick, synth-heavy Underworld sample, and the contrast is delightful. Was that by design?

You’re right about the frequencies — I hadn’t even thought about that. I can’t take credit for the drums, because that’s the one element that I don’t do myself in any of my records. But I definitely love the heaviness of the synth and how it interacts with my voice, because my voice is so airy and light.

There’s also a beautiful micro-melody on the 0:45 mark that is almost buried in the mix.

I do all the synths in my music, and I know exactly what you’re talking about. I added that line, and when I sent it to mix, I wanted it to be way louder, but I let it slip. I think my engineer sometimes thinks that my voice should be the main melodic instrument, and he doesn’t want the mix to get too busy.

Most of your songs have little lines that work like hidden treasures. What was the songwriting process like on a track like "Illegal"?

It was the first song for this project, and it was just me. I was thinking about the movie Trainspotting, and remembered liking the song that plays during the baby scene. So I ended up getting that into GarageBand and chopping it up. 

It’s a very blatant sample, I’d say. I always get a bit insecure knowing that so much of the song relies on the sample – it’s more like the original with me singing on top. But we made it very quickly. I made the synths, someone sent me the drums, I wrote the lyrics and got it mixed. It was like two hours.

And now it’s a major hit, right?

Yeah, I know. It’s crazy. I think it’s because of the sample, because it’s so timeless.

Your voice is always at the epicenter of the mix — it’s the heart of all your songs. Do you seek that out?

I find it really hard to switch from my airy voice to a stronger tone, and I don’t think my fans would like it. Some of my songs are so sad, that the best way to sing them is in a very vulnerable way, almost like I’m speaking right into your ears. My voice is going straight there – I’m not getting lost anywhere.

"Nice To Know You" may well be the emotional core of the mixtape. There’s so many things happening at the same time in that song. How did you design it?

There’s a William Orbit song that I really liked, and I wanted to incorporate it into the beat somehow, so I tried loads of different sections. I was trying to figure out how to construct a song with this sample, and built my vocals around it. Funnily enough, I thought it was quite stripped back. Once we added the strings, it added more impact. It’s definitely the most emotional song in the mixtape.

You tend to incorporate video game sounds into your music. That was already present in "Boy’s a liar Pt. 2."

That one was produced by Mura Masa, and I’ve noticed that he puts a lot of those digital sounding things like video game and anime stuff. However, we didn’t work together on Fancy That. I think because my music is so fast, and there’s lots of synths, it can sound like a video game. I’ve heard people say that my songs sound like Japanese pop. I don’t mind it, but in my mind, my music sounds like British ‘90s music.

Something that strikes me about Fancy That is the transitions between songs. They’re beautiful.

I’ve always been unsure of the transitions, because I don’t want them to sound too seamless. On this project, I asked everybody who worked on it to go into a room by themselves, listen to the songs and figure out a sequence. We compared notes, and I noticed that everyone suggested the same kind of order. I generally struggle with the track listing; I find it really hard.

Listening to the record, I thought that you would be the perfect candidate for the next James Bond theme. Your music has the same cosmopolitan, retro vibe that I find in other Bond-friendly artists like Massive Attack and Propellerheads.

I’ve been trying hard to make an elegant garage song for so long, but I haven’t found the right beat yet. There was a genre in the UK that you could call elegant garage — stuff like MJ Cole and Groove Armada. It’s almost like elevator music, and I really enjoy that kind of stuff. But I always get lost. I end up wanting to make a club song, when I should keep it stripped back. 

I know exactly what you’re talking about, and for my next project, I want to do more of that kind of thing.

Let’s go back to one of your first hits. When I listened to "Pain" back in 2021 — with Erik Satie’s "Gymnopédie" chords, and the garage vibe — I thought of it as an impression or a flash more than a song. Are you an impressionist?

I think my music can be split into two categories: I have songs that are just songs, and then I have songs which are more like flashes, or moments. I like to take in the musical landscape at the specific time when I work on a track. 

With "Pain," which was around 2020 — with COVID and everything — I remember thinking it would be beneficial for some people to hear this. It’s the same with Fancy That appearing in 2025. When there’s so much bad stuff happening in the world, I think I can contribute a few upbeat songs for people to listen to in their cars or at the clubs.

Creating music in the safety of your bedroom and exchanging files with your collaborators is one experience, but transposing all that to a live stage is an altogether different challenge. Have you struggled with that?

This is my third project, and I think I’m getting better. Live shows are difficult for me. I can’t really dance and jump around that easily, because my vocals are too delicate. So I have to figure out a way of being entertaining while also staying subdued enough to actually sing.

I want to put more of a spectacle on the current tour, do a lot of things with lighting and take some of the pressure of having to go crazy onstage. I want to be able to enjoy singing without the theatrics.

You’ve mentioned before that you have problems with tinnitus, and some hearing loss. How are you currently dealing with those issues?

It’s kind of tough, because I can’t mix or master my own music anymore, since I have trouble hearing the bass. Performing live has been OK. I can’t figure out why, but my pitch has become better since I have less hearing in one ear. It hasn’t affected my daily life as badly as it did in the beginning. I think I’m the kind of person who can make the most out of a bad situation.

How has your family reacted to the fact that you’re creating all these gorgeous songs and being so successful with them?

I think they’re just happy that I can make my own money and be self-sustained. I’m the first person in my family to do anything creative, except for my brother, who’s a sound engineer. I was never good at school, and I think they were probably worried about me. It’s good being able to prove that I can really do everything I said I would achieve.