Original subtitles

You're doing amazing.

Where's the ice? You're doing great.

I just need one piece of ice.

Hey, what's going on, everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans, and

watching Hot Ones. It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.

And today we're joined by Pink Pantheress.

She's a Grammy Award -nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, including for

her 2025 sophomore mixtape, Fancy That. We're thrilled we could catch her

between dates for her evening with Pink Pantheress Tour. But today she takes the

stage against a gauntlet of scorching hot wings.

Pink Pantheress, welcome to the show. Thank you.

How would you describe your relationship with spicy food before we get started?

Well, I'm half Kenyan, so I'm not unfamiliar with spice, but I can't sit

and say.

that Nan knows I'm getting anything past peritema.

Does that make sense to you?

I've never eaten on camera.

First time. Yeah.

That's very scrumptious, actually.

Pretty nice. I put that on my food.

So we're catching you in the throes of your tour, and I'm wondering what makes

great... opening song for a concert like can you pull back the curtain on the

kinds of discussions that go into deciding which musical note the audience

first oh that's that's a good question for me it's kind of like what will

people recognize instantly that will incite a specific reaction you know when

you release a project you kind of can tell what the fan favorite is and so in

case it was

a song called stateside so i have that as my opener and once they hear the

few notes they already know what's going on they're like yeah and then you've

been pretty open about your struggles with stage fright do you have any

foundational tips for how to get over an anxiety like that does it get easier

when you're doing it night after night i think so like when i used to film on

stage i would

And I would act as if the audience were in charge. So I would let them dictate

how I performed. So if they weren't enjoying it, I would be like, they're

enjoying it. I'm not going to bother.

But then as time went on, I think somebody once basically drilled into my

that like, I have to be the person that dictates them, not the other way around.

And so even when you are on stage and you're like, everybody jump, like they

jump. So it's like, you literally can just like, you just need to own it. And

that's basically what I've been trying to do for like.

four years now is just trying like own it but i've only just got like good i

would say even a year ago i wasn't good at performing but now you're in half but

now i'm pretty decent yeah go on go on then

okay so do you

prefer the flats or the drum as a kid i like the drum because it's cutesy but uh

-huh sophisticated man i've come to enjoy the flat okay

And you look sophisticated.

Thank you very much. Of course.

What role did growing up in Canterbury play in shaping your sound?

You're an artist who really taps into this specific kind of British

I wonder to what extent Canterbury lives in the music.

I have to say something.

Yeah. The reason that you're a really good interviewer is because you remember

questions really well.

Because Canterbury thought.

When you come to America, things can feel quite glitz and glamour.

Everyone feels like they can work their way towards being a star.

In the UK, I remember when my teacher was asking the girls what we all wanted

be, and I was like, I want to be a bassist in a band.

And literally, she was like this. She was like,

okay, so try and keep it realistic, you guys.

I was like, bitch.

But it's not necessarily in our psyche that, oh, this is possible, this is

possible.

can be a result of the melancholy, but I also think it's a lot of pathetic

fallacy. The weather is always gray.

You know what I mean? Yeah.

I don't know. I honestly think that I think the thing that evokes most feeling

in me is music in general.

So I think that I just like to kind of try and inspire that in other people.

Which one is your favorite?

So I like this one a lot, actually. This is delicious.

Wait, you said this was what, garlic? I don't know.

Pickled garlic, some sriracha. I really like garlic in general, yeah.

I do.

Which pre -fame job do you remember most fondly, working at Marks & Spencer,

Claire's, or the time that you spent at a cricket ground in Kent?

So, yeah, I'd say for me, you know, as most Brits know, Marks & Spencer's is

pretty. Have you been to the UK?

I have. I have. Do you remember Marks and Spencers?

M &S?

Yeah, indeed.

If I hit the food court with a 20 -pound note, what's the best pick up there? I

would honestly say, since we're on the topic of wings, they do really good

-style thong puff wings, which I used to buy out. I would buy out the store. I

don't care. I'd buy, like, five packs at a time, and I would deep -fat fry them

in my deep -fat fryer at home.

So yeah, that would be what I would get. I wouldn't even spend it on anything

else. I would spend £20 on that.

But Marks and Spencers is definitely pretty iconic. The food is really good

though.

Let's do the damn thing.

So what, this is Black Eyed Susan?

Okay.

That is my favourite.

That's really good. Oh yeah, that's coming home.

That's really good.

And a little bit of a kick, but nothing you can't handle.

I just really like the chickpea of it all.

Mm. Mm -hmm. That's my favorite so far.

If you were to put together the perfect singer -songwriter, Mr. Potato Head

style, whose melodies are you taking?

Okay. Whose storytelling, whose ability to break the rules, and whose ear for a

beat?

That's... Hmm.

Okay. Well, if we're...

Melodies, I must say, I'm going to say Lily Allen because I love Lily Allen and

I think she really did enforce a lot of my melodical choices in some ways.

I think it's Lily Allen first and second.

And I think that when it comes to...

Beat choices, sorry, or like instrumentation. I really am a big Fru

So I'm just going to say Fru -Fru as a unit.

And then last question was?

Willingness to break the rules.

Oh, I'm on the spot.

The walls closing in. Rule breaking. Contending with the spice.

Just trying to think who really pushed the... You know, I'm going to say Chief

Keef. And that's all I'm going to say after that. I was talking about him the

other day and how much he was...

doing this from day one

who's your favorite musical artist

oof like just in mileage and the headphones oh i like that yeah sure like

who yeah some kind of like a 90s rap kid right so if i was gonna like mount

rushmore just mileage and the headphones would probably be notorious big eminem

Kanye and DMX. You are surprising.

Like, you actually are. No, I must say.

Don't judge a book, hey?

Yeah, that's what they say.

And don't judge a sauce by the label.

Up next is a hot and saucy.

Okay.

What do most people... Do people ever stop?

It's actually kind of rare. I think, like, once you're on the show, you feel

like... a hostage to the show or like tethered to the wings you know like

psychologically i really like how you talk i think that you have a i really do

think i like how you form sentences and how your mind forms sentences and i'm

just gonna make you aware of that well you know what i appreciate As an

interviewer, I appreciate your candidness, your thoughtfulness, and

opinions about pop music. So if you'll humor me, I have some hot take pop music

debatable issues that I just want to bounce off of you. And then I'm just

that you can shoot from the hip on them, okay?

I'm just amazed.

Seriously great segue.

Tell me, please.

Do you think it's necessary for a songwriter to have experienced

things that they write about?

I don't know. I don't. But that being said, I don't think you should

any stories that, you know, I don't think we need to think about everything.

But it's like, since the song Kill Bill, like, obviously, you know, she didn't

kill her. I just, I love storytelling in such an abstract way. I have a song

about drowning in a bathtub.

And you never drown in a bathtub.

You don't know that.

But yeah.

So, yeah.

Is there such a thing as selling out or is that a phony made up concept designed

to police the success of others? Goodness.

I can tell when someone's doing it. I think there's two angles. You can have a

real sellout, which like someone that goes against their moral compass and

moral code.

And then you have a sellout in terms of like, you know, like, oh, I want to

gatekeep this artist. I don't want everyone to know about them.

And it's a fine line.

It's actually quite a thick line, actually.

But the way people will kind of like use it, I feel like so, you know, I think I

think it exists, but I think it's quite high.

Does an artist owe any level of personal access to fans or does the music alone

complete the transaction?

I think some people like the idea of having more parasocial fans because I

think, you know, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I think some

people like having that really close connection with their fans and their

relationship is very like this.

And I think that it reaps a really, really, really cultivated fan base that

really loyal to you.

But I think at the expense of it, you kind of... That's both ways. Yeah, I

at the expense of it, you do lose some privacy in your own life and you might

have people following you, for example.

I'm very happy with my balance.

Because I think that I was lucky enough, when I was young, I thought of it. I

was like, I don't want to have to explain every aspect of my life to

So I was like, I'm just going to keep that level of separation.

Do you ever get followed around?

A little bit.

OMG, yeah.

I once got...

paparazzi walking out of um takaya like the mexican joint you know like on

sunset boulevard over there oh yes and i was walking out and this guy just

started taking the pictures and i just said to him i go at takaya you know and

he goes uh yeah celebrities come here like that that's what he said to me well

he's just snapping i'm just in gym clothes holding a carryout bag

do you go to concerts Who was the last show you

went to? I went to Foo Fighters this weekend.

I actually love Foo Fighters. And they were playing a fun warehouse in the

middle of nowhere in New Jersey. And it was a show because they were gearing up

for a tour.

He was in here in the studio and he was like, I've got a show this weekend. And

I was like, let's do it then.

I've got a show.

Tomorrow night?

Yeah. Are you coming to mine?

I'd like to.

You want me?

Put me on the list.

Okay, yeah, I'm ready. All right, this is Tropical Amarillo. Okay.

Do you ever eat the whole wing?

Like down to the bone?

I match the guest's energy, you know? So if I was eating every piece of chicken

down to the bone, you would have done the same thing? I would be, yes. By the

sacred oath that I have to this chair, I'd be obliged to follow you.

Oh, that's interesting.

How do you think about the narrative from one project to the next? Like, do

think of your music career as this ever -growing body of work with, like, a

broader arc above it? Or is it more like a one idea at a time kind of thing?

I think it's very easy to want to, like, do one thing at a time.

And just forget about the whole, because when I first started, I remember like

being told like this, your career isn't going to be a one or two year career. It

should be a 10 year career.

And I was like, oh, really? I didn't expect to make it even five years.

By the way, I didn't. I didn't. But we're still here.

And I'm on hot ones.

The older I get and the more I make projects, the more I'm like, oh, this

be part of the whole overarching journey.

But then, when you're making it, though, I still think that you need to treat it

as like a current situation. You know what I mean? Like I, for example, my

project. Careful, careful, careful.

You've been eaten.

I'm always just, I worry about people's eyes.

You know what? I'd already thought about this. I'm only eating it with this.

Actually, I did use my, thank you. I know. I'm watching.

I'm watching.

That's really kind.

So this is eight dragons.

And you know what I'm going to do? Yeah. I'm wearing nails today, so I'm

actually going to do it with a tissue. There you go. Breaking new ground.

So I've heard you say that you're obsessed with the Saw franchise, even

starring Chris Rock. Yes.

Is there a jigsaw trap or an effed up death from the series that you admire

for its creativity?

I will say, anywhere people have to, like...

take off chunks and there's one way you have to take it was like there's a way

like you had they had to cut off chunks of their own flesh to like weigh

something down sorry yeah and so they had to cut off I asked the question you

did they had to cut off their own chunks of flesh and obviously you're doing it

yourself I just yeah I don't I think I would rather he just kind of like put

trap on me and let it do its thing than like I have to get involved in the trap

but that's the whole point of Thor is that you are the person You've got to

out of your own grave. But you have to do it because he's not actually a

murderer. He's the person that gives you the choice of death or figuring it out,

but being very hurt.

Can you give us one highlight and one lowlight of ghost hunting in Allington

Castle?

Okay.

Wait, I haven't seen you look down once to check this.

I just don't understand.

So I'd say that the highlight for that was being with my friends. I love

stuff.

I'm a bit of a skeptic, to be honest. I don't want to ruffle anyone's troubles.

But I am a bit of a skeptic.

When we were doing the ghost hunting, I thought it was kind of satire. So I

thought we were all in on the joke.

But there was a real ghost hunter.

She would be like, make four knocks.

if there's anyone in the room, and I was doing this on the table.

Do you hear that?

Yeah, and I thought that it was a joke, but it wasn't.

And she just kept... I feel really bad now, because I feel like she definitely

thought... She probably thought she was on something, but it was me, and I never

actually told her it was me.

You don't have to feel bad. You should feel good for coming clean now. you know

right i just hope she doesn't see this and i think her name was hazel but i

really hope she doesn't see this and i love you hazel but yeah it wasn't giving

okay it does creep up on

you you really are waiting to me

okay that

that that took it up Just a bit.

Is that nice to you?

No. You know, this is, you were asking about the sauces earlier. This was the

novelty of it all. Yeah.

So have you ever tried the hottest chip?

I have. I've also eaten a Carolina Reaper, just the pod straight up, and

the hottest pepper in the world for many years. The hottest chili pepper?

Yeah. Scoville?

Yeah, look at you.

Yeah, well, I do my research, too.

So, I have to say that you really crushed it when you were on the weakest

finishing in the top three.

So, if you'll humor me, I actually have a Hot Ones pub trivia quiz for you,

which, of course, is tough to think coherently when you're battling to bomb,

if you're game, I do have some questions.

You know the Beatles, but you also know Beatles. Which of the following is not a

real Beatle? The Hercules Beatle, the Scarab Beatle, or the White Spotted

Sawyer?

You're right. The White Spotted Sawyer. You're right.

Which British rapper became the youngest artist ever to win a Mercury Prize for

an album recorded largely while he was still a schoolboy in East London?

I'll do you off with it.

It is Dizzy Rascal. Okay. Look at you. How about this one?

Imogen Heap's 2005 song, Hide and Seek, was used in a shocking season finale of

which American TV drama?

Not Ugly Betty.

I really... Oh, I don't... Oh, I... Pretty

Little Liars?

It was the OC.

It was the OC.

I don't know that. But you're doing good. I don't know that. I have one more

you.

Yeah. Which K -pop group's name includes the longitude coordinates of Seoul?

NCT. 1, 2, 3.

Incredible.

My mouth hurts.

I know. Such is the plight of this show.

Yeah. But you're doing amazing.

You're doing great.

That's all yours. We have a whole picture for you over there.

Okay. It just won't leave my mouth. I know. Do you want some ice cream?

I can make it happen with a snap.

Yes, please.

Oh!

Told you.

Okay.

Now I find that this is when ice cream tastes best.

After this? After the bomb.

Da bomb.

Da bomb.

Do you listen to British music?

Do you know Dizzy Rascal?

Fix up. Look sharp.

Oh, yeah.

Well, you must have had a bunch of British artists on here.

We've shot episodes in London.

We shot with Ricky Gervais in London. We shot with Charlie Sloth in London.

Are you being serious?

Charlie Sloth?

Those are back in the day. We shot with Amelia de Moldenberg in London. Oh,

yeah. We shot with Louis Theroux in London.

Oh, my God.

I just, I really just, it hurts. It's not like. I know. But this doesn't hurt.

Not as bad. Okay, cool. Well, then that's fine.

It's called Triple X Salt Survive.

I kind of wish they just called it Triple X Salsa. I don't know why we had

add vibe.

Like, does everything have to be a vibe?

I've heard you say you can find good Kenyan food in New York.

If I'm new to the cuisine and I want to play the hits, what should I order?

I'm really just like, I don't know.

Just give me one sec.

Yeah, yeah.

Take your time.

Grilled meat, chapati.

We have really good sides.

We have a little spinach dish.

You take the ugali.

That one's good.

Have you eaten African food in general?

I have, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Which one?

Nigerian food. Oh, yeah?

Did you have, like, fufu? Yeah, yeah, yeah, and eating with the bread.

Okay, so it's similar.

Similar vibe.

Consistency is, like, white.

You just, you know, you take the stew with it, and then you eat it.

Mm -hmm.

I would say Ugali, for sure.

Love taking the notes.

Alright, Pink Panther.

I'll have one bite of this, I think.

And with that, Pink Panther, the wings of death are behind us.

Yeah! And to close things out, you know, you have such a unique journey to pop

stardom. You know, this starts in a university hall at night. You're by

in just GarageBand, which makes me wonder, for someone who's sitting in a

right now wondering if the thing that they're making in private is worth

anything, what is it that you want them to know?

Like, you know, with you, you always wanted to be a journalist.

I went to school for broadcast journalism, yeah.

That's really incredible.

So you, this is what I would have done if I was in your position. I wanted to

become a host of a chicken -based interview show.

I would have said to myself, okay, I'm going to, in a year's time, I'm going to

have my own YouTube show that I'm just running by myself with two of my friends

who none of us really make that much money. But, you know, they have

I'm going to borrow my dad's equipment.

That's what I'm going to do in a year's time.

Then, in two years' time, oh.

I want to have 50k subscribers.

Third year. Oh, now I want to have more professional equipment and I want to

start making money from this.

Year five.

Oh, I want to get a whole studio and shoot in a studio.

Year six.

Oh, I want to get Charlie Sloth on here.

Like, I wanted my first song to have like 100 listeners.

It has to be this.

It doesn't even have to be yearly. It could be monthly. It could be like,

this month I'm going to do this. This month this is going to happen.

But it's so much easier to do that than to be like, oh, because you overwhelm

yourself. And that's when people start going, no, I'm too overwhelmed. I can't

do this.

And they procrastinate.

Just get to the top of the hill. That gives you a view of the next peak to

climb. Get on top of that mountain. Give you a clearer view of the next peak to

climb. Just like the show. One wing after another. And look at you, Pink

Panther, conquering the wings of death, living to tell the tale. And now there's

nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.

This camera, this camera, this camera. Let the people know what you have going

on in your life.

Yeah, well, I have a show tomorrow.

You're going to be there. He's going to be in the front row.

Actually throwing wings at me.

The optics of that would be crazy.

But, yeah, so we're going to have a good time tomorrow.

We are.

And then we have the after thing.

You can get lit.

Because you said you like to drink now. Yeah, yeah. It's fun every once in a

while. Only once in a while, though.

And maybe you can write a song about it.

Thank you so much.

You're a lot of fun. Oh, thank you. Really nice to meet you. Lovely to meet

too.

And yeah, you must... I'll see you tomorrow.

We'll see.

All right, Hot Ones fans, you've seen the gauntlet, you've heard about the

flavors, and now it's time to taste the action. Get your hands on the Season 30

Hot Ones 10 -pack delivered right to your door. That's hotones .com, hotones

.com, hotones .com to get your hands on the Season 30 Hot Ones 10 -pack.

The last dab, you don't have to if you don't want to, but do it. Be careful

around the eyes. Ice cream, not included. And remember, fortune flavors

bold.