“Some people were questioning if I knew the genre and did my research, I guess because I’m young”: PinkPantheress says that having her authenticity doubted by dance music purists “was a bit annoying”

PinkPantheress is teasing a new era of music, with an album (or is it a mixtape?) set to drop on 9 May. Ahead of the release, she’s been discussing the making of the record in a wide-ranging interview with Mixmag, offering her thoughts on sampling, production, genres and inspiration.

One of PinkPantheress’s first revelations is that, sonically at least, the album takes a degree of influence from dance music legends such as Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada.

“I loved the size of the music,” she says. “All the music sounds so big and grand and present, and I really wanted to make music where it sounds like a statement is being made with the songs. I feel like that was what appealed to me, and it’s something that I wanted to take on board.”

She also shares her thoughts on sampling - specifically, what kind of material she does and doesn’t see as fair game.

“Sampling is funny because everyone has their opinions about it,” she begins. “Some people think it's stealing or unoriginal, which is something I dealt with a lot when I was starting. But for me sampling is my way of sharing a love for something and reinterpreting it.

“I would only sample something I love. I would never sample something for the thought of it having nostalgia-bait or whatever reason. I do it because I want to reinterpret something I love to different audiences.”

PinkPantheress goes on to say that this is the most hands-on she’s been in the production of any of her records. This is thanks to some time spent sharpening up her skills in the studio… and a helping hand from UK dance music duo Basement Jaxx.

“They were very pivotal in my learning,” she confirms. “I went in there to make beats and songs with them, but I ended up leaving by just seeing their creative process and style and picking their brains… I ended up sampling them. I don’t want to leak how they work, but just seeing how they reach certain sounds or develop ideas was really interesting.”

The star also had warm words from other “mentors” such as Mura Masa and Danny L Harle, and says that, despite breaking through into the mainstream and now being viewed as ‘pop’, she wants to keep her more experimental streak intact.

Relatedly, she says she was keen to ensure that her new album doesn’t sound too clinical and pristine: “I always love the grittiness and the DIY, and for this upcoming project I asked the mixers to not make it too clean because I like the way my voice sounds when it’s not too polished.”

PinkPantheress also addressed the pushback that she’s received from certain dance music gatekeepers who’ve claimed that her appreciation of genres such as drum ‘n’ bass and UK garage isn’t truly ‘authentic’. In fact, she says she tackled it head-on.

“It was a bit annoying… getting questions as to why I’m making art, some people were questioning if I knew the genre and did my research, I guess because I’m young,” she begins.

“But I spoke to one of these jungle purists - and it was very interesting hearing his side of things and how he felt about drum ‘n’ bass and jungle and his introduction to me,” she reveals. “[He spoke about how] drum ‘n’ bass is still not a mainstream genre, globally, and it’s not one that’s understood by the majority of the world. It was something that was honed in the UK, and with us as a nation where maybe some of our music was overlooked in the past, it makes these genres extra special to the people who have loved it.”

Despite this, PinkPantheress believes that there is a mutual understanding that social media has changed that musical landscape and helped underground genres to become more mainstream. “Those purists have now accepted the situation for what it is,” she says.