Alongside artists like RAYE, Olivia Dean, and Charli xcx, PinkPanthress is part of a new class of British musicians finding global traction by leaning further into their sound, instead of smoothing it out. “There’s definitely a raw spirit that the UK brings,” she says, calling ahead of a show in Vancouver. “I don’t really know how or why…but we tend to be more from the heart.”

Vanity Fair: You’ve gone straight from a show in Mexico City into Weekend 1 of Coachella and back on tour. What’s that run been like so far?

PinkPantheress: It’s been pretty hectic, but I’ve enjoyed every aspect of it. I really enjoy performing these days, so it’s been incredible being able to play like that.

You’ve created a really immersive, almost cinematic show on tour, with characters like DJ Joe and backup dancers called Pinkettes. How do things change when you bring it to a festival like Coachella?

When I got booked for Coachella, I realised there’d be fans there. But I’d guess maybe less than 50% of the crowd would be real fans of me—which isn’t a bad thing. My fan base is kind of spread across the world, as opposed to being really heavy in one area. So I knew I’d have to provide an entertaining experience for people who didn’t really know what to expect from one of my shows.

With that in mind, what experience are you trying to give people on stage?

People are not always aware they’re coming into a set with quite heavy bass and drums. The music is maybe a bit heavier than they expect. In some ways, I’d love to do a set that’s really electronic. But with something like Coachella, it has to feel a bit more accessible.

You also brought out an incredible range of special guests to your set.

Yeah, it was very fun. I love sharing my stage with people I’m friends with, and I’m friends with Harrison (The Dare) and a lot of the guest artists—pretty much everyone that was up there, like Thundercat as well.

Tyriq Withers made his appearance as your ‘Romeo,’ but he also played a recurring ‘American Boy’ love interest throughout the set. What’s the story behind that role?

When we were planning the set, I was saying how I wanted to try something a little different. I was talking to a friend of mine, and he was showing me all these different shows he’d been to, including some Lady Gaga shows, and he was saying that doing something narrative on stage isn’t that common. But it can be really effective. I was like, “Oh, I’d love to try something narrative-based.” So that’s kind of what we ended up with, and I’m really happy I did it. I love theater, so it was a cool way to bring theatre and music together.