The Tamesis
“My name is Pink, nice to meet youThat’s how Pink Panthers kicked off her performance at Coachella last night, kicking things off with her super-bop song “Illegal.” Of course, a legion of screaming fans already knew exactly who she was.
Thanks to her second mixtape, 2025 like thatThe British singer has had a stellar year. Continuing through the first quarter of 2026, the arrival of Coachella Valley is a welcome relief. “It felt surreal, but the timing was perfect,” PinkPantheress said. “I feel really secure in the world I built with the last album, so it’s really exciting for it to come to fruition.”
PinkPantheress has been touring with her biggest body of work to date. This prepared her for a carefully orchestrated, chaotic and energetic Coachella festival—one that still required some serious preparation, though. “We started rehearsing for about two weeks, which was a low-key, very intense preparation time, but all the musical preparation and ideation started months before,” says PinkPantheress, who transformed the stage into a giant dance party, with guest appearances from The Dare, HorsegiirL and Tyriq Withers, among others. “It was a little hectic at times, but in the last hour everything really came together. My goal was to have a real cinematic experience – I want people to feel like they went to a theatre.”
She adds some moments of pure Broadway showmanship to the show. “I really loved the conversation between my lovely dancers Ava and Nerita before Pain,” she said. “It’s one of the gentler plays on the show, but it felt so sweet to perform that particular scene with my girls.” The star added that finding new, innovative ways to adapt her songs for the stage is one of her favorite parts of the tour. “How to put these songs together for a live performance has been one of the most complex yet fulfilling experiences of my career,” said PinkPantheress.
