“People think I make music for it… I don’t”: PinkPantheress pushes back on TikTok labels despite viral hits like “Boy’s a liar”

Despite racking up billions of streams and dominating TikTok trends, PinkPantheress says her artistry isn't dictated by the app, and she's over the misconception that it is.

In her exclusive tell-all with the Complex podcast, Please Explain, the pop star clarified that her music isn't meant for the FYP.

“I always get surprised when something ends up being big on TikTok, 'cause I don't necessarily plan for it. People think that I make music for ... people that aren’t fans think I make [music] for TikTok, which is insane. Cause no, I don’t.”

PinkPantheress explained that the TikTok tag mostly came from when she released her previous project, where music listeners' reactions played a crucial role in the inclusion of the songs in her project. She said:

"I think my first project that I ever made, which was called To Hell With It, for sure, was one where audience opinion basically dictated which tracks were going to be on the project. 'Cause people responded that the one that they made big, and then I was like, 'Okay, this is good. I'm going to put, include these on the mixtape, and then I'm going to write some more songs and put them on.'"

The "Pain" hitmaker admitted that she only cared about making good music and didn't mind if her record wouldn't do well on any platforms. She said:

"I just want to make a good album. And that was Heaven Knows. And obviously, that was on the back end of a really big TikTok song."

PinkPantheress continued, sharing that the thought process behind her album being "very offline" gave her a space for her artistry, bringing up TikTok where her tracks "Boy's a liar Pt. 2" and "Illegal," released a couple of years later, trended.

"I was really happy because I think it then gave me the like, a space I needed from something like TikTok to then come back two years later and then have another big TikTok thing, like 'Illegal.'"

"Being shy is a secret power": PinkPantheress says she represents “shy girls” who don’t see themselves in today’s pop stars

Meanwhile, in the same interview, PinkPantheress also revealed she advocates for quiet confidence, telling host Aria Hughes that "a group of people which I represent that are just shy girls."

“I think that we're not allowed to be shy enough sometimes. Another thing about being a pop star is you always need to be the super confident figure that's perfect. And again, being from the UK, so many of my favorite pop stars were not perfect beings. Sometimes they were unglamorous. Sometimes they were messy."

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The "Break It Off" songstress added:

“Being shy is a secret power for me because I feel like there's a lot of girls out there that are just as shy who also feel like they need to be represented. And I feel like I do that for them. I do feel like when I get to meet my fans, I feel very, very similar to them. I get so many comments where they're like, ‘You feel like my older sister.’ And that makes me happy ‘cause I'm like, ‘That makes me feel good.’ I would rather be your older sister than someone that you saw as unattainable.”

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