Wikipedia

Girl Like Me (PinkPantheress song)

"Girl Like Me" is a song by English singer-songwriter and record producer PinkPantheress. It appeared on her second mixtape Fancy That, released on 9 May 2025 through Warner Records, and was later released as the mixtape's fifth and final single on 18 April 2026, nearly a year later. The song was produced by PinkPantheress, Aksel Arvid and Count Baldor in collaboration with Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe of the electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, who are credited as songwriters. It is a dance-pop and UK garage track that builds on two songs by the duo, "Romeo" and "Always Be There", with lyrics that address emotional vulnerability in a mismatched relationship. "Girl Like Me" was well-received by fans and critics, becoming a popular trend on TikTok and Instagram. It made its debut on the UK singles chart in May 2026, shortly after the release of its music video.

"Girl Like Me"
Single by PinkPantheress
from the album Fancy That
Released18 April 2026 (2026-04-18)
Genre
Length2:25
LabelWarner
Songwriters
Producers
  • PinkPantheress
  • Aksel Arvid
  • Count Baldor
PinkPantheress singles chronology
"Stateside + Zara Larsson"
(2026)		 "Girl Like Me"
(2026)
Music video
"Girl Like Me" on YouTube

Background and production

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The song has been described as a modern take on early 2000s dance music, combining fast-paced, "jittery" UK garage[2] and production inspired by drum and bass with "soft, almost whispering vocals".[3][4] The song features a sample from the Basement Jaxx song "Always Be There", while the song's hook builds on the line "Let it all go" from their song "Romeo".[5][6] Daniel Griffiths of MusicRadar argued that the song likely uses the line as a vocal recreation rather than as a sample, with the melody in F♯/A instead of the original's F♯/A♭.[6] In an interview with Mixmag, PinkPantheress cited "Romeo" as a personal favourite.[7]

PinkPantheress spent time in the recording studio with Basement Jaxx while producing Fancy That, and "Girl Like Me" is one of four tracks on the mixtape to sample their music, alongside "Stars", "Nice to Know You" and "Romeo".[8][nb 1]

They were very pivotal in my learning. 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.

— PinkPantheress on Basement Jaxx, Mixmag[9]

Lyrically, I wanted a song which was like a little bit more Gen Z vibes with how I'm discussing a relationship. [...] This one, I was like, 'How do I kind of [make it] more current? I'm talking about going to therapy, etc.'

— PinkPantheress, Capital[10]

The song's lyrics explore emotional vulnerability and "modern romantic confusion",[4] with PinkPantheress "putting her foot down" in an unhappy relationship: "I'm not a fan of the way we're moving".[10][11] PinkPantheress wanted the lyrics to resonate more with a Gen Z audience, claiming that her lyrical references are usually "quite dated".[10]

Release

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An early version of "Girl Like Me" could be heard in a video posted on PinkPantheress's official TikTok account on 13 July 2024.[12] Prior to the release of the mixtape Fancy That, the song was part of a DJ mix by Apocalypse Liao with PinkPantheress on The Lot Radio on 28 March 2025.[13][14]

"Girl Like Me" became a fan favourite after appearing as the second track on Fancy That, released on 9 May 2025.[15][3] The mixtape was later accompanied by a remix album titled Fancy Some More?, released on 10 October 2025, which featured a remix of the song with vocals by Oklou, alongside another remix by Kaytranada.[16][17]

The song earned over 1 million streams in the United States during the week of 10 April 2026. That number climbed to 1.69 million two weeks later after being released as a single, and to 2.85 million in the week of 8 May 2026, after the release of its music video.[18] The song made its debut at number 81 on the UK singles chart the following week.[19] It also reached number 11 on the UK Dance Singles chart and number 13 on Billboard's US Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart. A mashup of "Girl Like Me" and the song "Under Your Spell" by American electronic music duo Snow Strippers became a trend on TikTok, being featured in over 125,000 clips. "Girl Like Me" also became viral on Instagram, with over 12,000 reels using the song as background music.[18]

The song was issued by Warner Records as a single on 18 April 2026 in the form of a red limited edition 7-inch vinyl record. The vinyl release commemorated Record Store Day, which took place on the same date.[20]

Reception

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Writing for Pitchfork, Harry Tafoya described "Girl Like Me" as a "roaring speed garage banger".[21] Emily Bootle of The i Paper described the song as a "perfect, spluttering pop-dance track".[1] Ashley Rophina of Clash described the song as "dancefloor euphoria laced with heartbreak".[22] Paul Simpson of AllMusic also praised the song's club music potential, calling it "particularly Ibiza-friendly".[23] Andrew Braithwaite of Music Talkers wrote that "Girl Like Me" showcases PinkPantheress's ability to "turn short, intimate tracks into streaming hits".[3] Karly Quadros of Paste was more critical of PinkPantheress's sampling-heavy production style, writing that "the singalong of 'let it all go' feels a little clunkier the second time around."[24]

Music video

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The music video for "Girl Like Me" was directed by Laurie Lotus under the pseudonym Lauzza,[25] and released on 8 May 2026 to mark one year since the release of Fancy That.[26] It was partly filmed in Los Angeles,[27] and features cameos by British television presenter and long-time Big Brother host Davina McCall.[28] The video centres on a "street setting of nondescript houses" in a "surreal, rhythm-driven world",[26][3] and contains several references to British culture, including infantry foot guards, London Underground signs and Mini Coopers.[29]

The video was inspired by the Rhythm Heaven video games series, and its choreography and special effects were designed to match the rhythm-driven gameplay prominent in the series, which focuses on executing random actions on beat. Paul Moore of It's Nice That compared the video's hyperactive and "bouncy" visuals to the work of digital artist Cyriak. The use of 3D graphics was minimised in favour of real footage and the video's production was coordinated over the instant messaging platform Discord.[25] Visual effects supervisor Michos shared a proof-of-concept from March 2026 of the "world split" effect used throughout the video.[30]

A set composed of multi-coloured boxes shown in the video has drawn comparisons to the music video for "One Room Disco" by the Japanese pop band Perfume.[31] A similar set of coloured boxes was previously used during PinkPantheress's television debut on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 30 July 2025, where she performed a medley of "Illegal", "Girl Like Me" and "Tonight".[32]

Paul Moore of It's Nice That found the video to be an example of how PinkPantheress's personality is "nostalgic for late 2000s British kitsch".[25] Ella Dorn from the New Statesman wrote that the music video evokes imagery of a "pre-Brexit utopia, with a sense of cultural flourishing and central patriotic spirit that was arguably last on display during the 2012 Olympics."[31][33]

Track listing

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7" vinyl single – (Record Store Day, Limited Edition)[34][35][16]

  1. "Girl Like Me" – 2:25
  2. "Girl Like Me + Oklou" – 2:42
  3. "Girl Like Me + Kaytranada" – 4:53

Credits and personnel

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Credits shown below are adapted from Qobuz.[35]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Girl Like Me"
Chart (2025–2026) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[36] 95
UK Singles (Official Charts)[37]61
UK Dance (Official Charts)[38]11
US Hot Dance/Pop Songs (Billboard)[39]13

Notes

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  1. ↑ Despite sharing the title, the track "Romeo" contains a sample of the Basement Jaxx song "Good Luck" instead.[5]

References

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  1. 1 2 Bootle, Emily (30 May 2026). "PinkPantheress gives me hope for Gen Z". The i Paper. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  2. ↑ RSD '26 Special Release: Pink Pantheress - Girl Like Me, Record Store Day, retrieved 18 May 2026
  3. 1 2 3 4 Braithwaite, Andrew (9 May 2026). "PinkPantheress Reworks Basement Jaxx on Surreal "Girl Like Me" Video With Davina McCall Cameo". Music Talkers. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (8 May 2025). "PinkPantheress: Fancy That album review — figurehead of Gen Z pop knows how to tell a story". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Renshaw, David (12 May 2025). "Every sample used on PinkPantheress' Fancy That". The FADER. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 Griffiths, Daniel (14 May 2025). "Underworld, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada and William Orbit: PinkPantheress has sampled the cream of '90s and '00s UK electronic music on new mixtape, Fancy That". MusicRadar. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "The Cover Mix: PinkPantheress". Mixmag.net. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Rogerson, Ben (3 March 2026). ""It blew me away, and I felt things that I hadn't felt before. And also, more than that, I felt like I was listening to something I'd never listened to before": How PinkPantheress's meteoric rise has been aided and abetted by Basement Jaxx". MusicRadar. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Ahmed, Aneesa (31 March 2025). "Letting expectations go: PinkPantheress is entering a new era". Mixmag. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "PinkPantheress breaks down every song on Fancy That – Making The Album". Capital. Event occurs at 3 minutes 35 seconds. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Music Review: PinkPantheress' club pop mixtape 'Fancy That' is a lighthearted level up". AP News. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  12. ↑ pinkpantheress (13 July 2024). Unveiling the Latest from PinkPantheress (Video) – via TikTok.
  13. ↑ Apocalypse Liao with PinkPantheress @TheLotRadio 03-28-2025. The Lot Radio. 28 March 2025. Event occurs at 7 minutes 11 seconds – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ PinkPantheress – Girl Like Me, Genius, retrieved 15 June 2026
  15. ↑ Tan, Simon (21 May 2026). "PinkPantheress Gets Real on 'Girl Like Me'". Pulp Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Fancy Some More?, PinkPantheress". Qobuz. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Green, Walden (7 October 2025). "PinkPantheress Announces Fancy That Remix Project With Oklou, Bladee, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  18. 1 2 Denis, Kyle; Unterberger, Andrew (20 May 2026). "Which Drake Song From His Three New Albums Is Leading the Way on Streaming?". Billboard. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100, 15 May 2026 - 21 May 2026". Official Singles Chart. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "PinkPantheress - Girl Like Me (RSD26 EDITION) / Warner Records from Piccadilly Records". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Tafoya, Harry. "PinkPantheress: Fancy That". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  22. ↑ Rophina, Ashley (8 May 2025). "PinkPantheress - Fancy That". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  23. ↑ Simpson, Paul, Fancy That - PinkPantheress, Album, AllMusic, retrieved 22 May 2026
  24. ↑ Quadros, Karly (9 May 2025). "On Fancy That, PinkPantheress Splits Pop Nostalgia With a Dancefloor-Ready Future". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 Moore, Paul (2 June 2026). "A peek into how Pinkpantheress' new noughties-infused music video was created with a 21-year-old VFX visionary". It's Nice That. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  26. 1 2 Eede, Christian (11 May 2026). "PinkPantheress shares 'Girl Like Me' video featuring Davina McCall: Watch". DJ Mag. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  27. ↑ LAUZZA (15 May 2026). fancy some bts. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via Instagram.
  28. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (8 May 2026). "PinkPantheress Turns London Into a Moving Walkway in "Girl Like Me" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  29. ↑ Sandhar, Jasmine; de Souza, Naomi (29 May 2026). "Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress: What's behind the viral dances?". BBC. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  30. ↑ micholusu (11 May 2026). "here is the first proof of concept I made for the girl like me "world split" effect back in march". Retrieved 22 May 2026 – via X.
  31. 1 2 Dorn, Ella (17 May 2026). "PinkPantheress' unreal Britain". New Statesman. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  32. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (31 July 2025). "PinkPantheress Rips 'Fancy That' Three-Song Medley on 'Tonight Show' in Candy-Colored TV Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  33. ↑ Dorn, Ella (17 May 2026). "Pink Pantheress's Gen Z listeners look to her corpus for sunny escapism". The New Statesman. Retrieved 22 May 2026 – via X.
  34. ↑ "Girl Like Me (7" Vinyl) - PinkPantheress". Warner Music Australasia Store. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Fancy That, PinkPantheress". Qobuz. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  36. ↑ "Ireland Singles Top 100 - Music Charts". acharts.co. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  37. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 5/6/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  38. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart on 12/6/2026 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "PinkPantheress Chart History (Hot Dance/Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
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