If You Hand PinkPantheress the Aux at a Party, This Is What She'll Play

From the music she grew up on to what she's listening to now, the British hitmaker shares what's on her playlist.

pink pantheress wearing red tartan and holding a crown in an image over what looks like stacks of vinyl records and the marie claire listen up logo
(Image credit: Charlie Engman)
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If you ever wanted to know who is on your favorite singer's playlist, or what albums inspired the latest “it girl” the most, tune in for Marie Claire’s resident music franchise Listen Up. In this interview series, we ask musicians about their listening habits and the specific records that informed their taste—and inherently their journey as an artist.

British electronic phenom PinkPantheress knows how to keep a party going. The hitmaker has a penchant for DJing when she’s out with friends, whether she’s at home in London or elsewhere. “There was one night in Bristol where I ended up playing some 2-step classics off my phone in this tiny kitchen at like 3 a.m.,” she tells Marie Claire. “Everyone was too tired to dance but still stayed to listen to the tracks—almost like, Don’t let the night end.”

That feeling is all over the 24-year-old’s frenetic new mixtape, Fancy That. The surprise release, which dropped in late May, is arguably PinkPantheress’s most certifiably British project to date. It's inspired by iconic DJs like Fatboy Slim and ‘90s U.K. garage, while also featuring the Y2K flares that captivated her Gen Z fans and made her an electro-pop musician to watch. She’s quickly become the frontrunner for the song of the summer crown since the album’s third single, “Illegal,” inspired a cheeky TikTok trend.

“It’s been kinda weirdly peaceful,” the recording artist says of her stratospheric climb up the charts. But she’s still learning how to strike the right balance between being an experimentalist and being a pop star. “It’s like arguing with yourself over whether to be mysterious or catchy. But the reward is when someone tells me they listened to a song on repeat and still felt like they hadn’t fully cracked it. That layered feeling makes the overthinking worth it.”

Here, PinkPantheress shares which other famous Brits inspire her as an artist, what Avril Lavigne song makes her cry, and who she’s eager to collaborate with.

pinkpantheress poses on the cover of her mixtape fancy that in a crown with images of flowers around her

The cover artwork for Fancy That.

(Image credit: Charlie Engman)

text that says who was the one artist or what was the one album growing up that inspired you the most

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Lily Allen or M.I.A. They made sounding like yourself feel cool. I was obsessed with how casual they sounded while saying the most cutting things.

text that says what era of music or scene do you wish you could have experienced for yourself

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Late '90s U.K. garage in real time—not just watching grainy footage on YouTube and romanticizing it from afar.

text that says do you have a favorite needle drop in a movie

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When they used “Only You” [by Yazoo] in The Office (U.K.). Not a movie, but still gut-wrenching.

text that says is there a live performance you've seen that altered your perception of what a show could be

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I saw Paramore once and left feeling like I’d been in a dream. Hayley [Williams]’s presence onstage feels like she’s floating above time or something.

text that says what's your favorite artist merch you've ever owned

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A faded Burial hoodie that’s definitely not aesthetic anymore, but I still wear it because it makes me feel cool, TBH.

pinkpantheress poses wearing a tartan coat and red skirt in what looks like a scrapbook image with a tartan background and a pink purse plastered over her

Fancy That features a number of samples from artists like Basement Jaxx, Jessica Simpson, Panic! at the Disco, and more.

(Image credit: Charlie Engman)

text that says name a song you wish you wrote

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“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. It’s so simple, but kills you if you’re in the right mood.

text that says who would you most like to collaborate with

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Clairo would be nice. Our sounds are quite soft, but something about that contrast of our usual instrumentation could be fun.

text that says if you were to curate a music festival who is on the lineup

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Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga, Kelela, M.I.A., and then someone unexpected like Solange, at sunset.

text that says what do you listen to when you want to cry or feel down

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I weirdly go back to early Avril Lavigne. “I’m With You” still hits.

text that says what do you listen to when you're getting ready to go out

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Anything that sounds like it could’ve played at a MISS SIXTY afterparty.

pinkpantheress poses laying down in a box wearing lace tights and a corset on the single artwork for illegal

PinkPantheress worked on her new mixtape with a handful of rising producers, including Aksel Arvid, The Dare, and Count Baldor

(Image credit: Charlie Engman)

text that says what do you listen to when you're driving

(Image credit: Future)

Some weird mix of trance, anime intros, and myself. It keeps me alert!

text that says what wouldyou play if you were handed the aux cord at a party

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Something that makes everyone go, “Wait, what is this?” but still dance. Probably a deep cut from Fancy That.

text that says what are your favorite lyrics you've written

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“As I descend, I see my life flash again” [from “Ophelia”]. It’s dramatic, but in a way that felt true at the time, and it’s such a me way to say, “I was in over my head.”

(Image credit: Future)

“Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers—but only if you made it D&B.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Sadie Bell
Sadie Bell
Senior Culture Editor

Sadie Bell is the Senior Culture Editor at Marie Claire, where she edits, writes, and helps to ideate stories across movies, TV, books, music, and theater, from interviews with talent to pop culture features and trend stories. She has a passion for uplifting rising stars, and a special interest in cult-classic movies, emerging arts scenes, and music. She has over nine years of experience covering pop culture and her byline has appeared in Billboard, Interview Magazine, NYLON, PEOPLE, Rolling Stone, Thrillist and other outlets.