PinkPantheress: TikTok singer wins BBC Sound Of 2022

PinkPantheress started posting 12-second samples of her music last January

Mystery pop sensation PinkPantheress has bagged the BBC Sound of 2022 award.

The TikTok star - who we know very little about - only started releasing music a year ago, but soon her tracks went viral and by August had two songs in the Top 40!

The 20-year-old promises to be one of the UK's next big pop stars, and is backed by Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish and Sir Elton John, who all voted for her to win the award.

Who is PinkPantheress?

The singer keeps her name a secret and, until recently, no one even knew what she looked like.

All we know is she comes from Bath in Somerset, and is currently studying film at University in London.

The star has 1.1m followers on TikTok

"I find it easier to not lay every single card on the table," she told the BBC.

"I like my privacy and I felt like, if I have my music out and my face everywhere, it would start getting too much for people."

She says her vocals, over retro beats and tracks with a drum and bass vibe are mostly written at night in her room which captures her mood.

How did she get started?

PinkPantheress started posting 12-second samples of her music using the app last January as a way to get feedback from her followers and help decide which to complete.

One of those tracks ended up at number 35 on the UK singles chart.

Not long after, PinkPantheress signed a record deal and released a debut mixtape later in the year, which was a combination of new material and samples she'd previously made.

The songs rarely last any longer than 2 minutes, which is unusual compared to the more traditional pop songs.

"I just get really tired of singing the same melody again and again," she explains. "By the time I've finished one melody, I'm like, 'OK, I can do better,' so then I move on to another one and another one.

"So it's not something I consciously do but it just ends up being the case. I don't think it necessarily is a bad thing."

Previous winners of this award include Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding and Adele

... And millions of her followers seem to agree.

"I had self-belief from the beginning but when other people start telling you stuff like this, it genuinely keeps you going."

The competition started in 2003 in order to find some of the most exciting new talent in music and PinkPantheress joins a list of successful artists who have won the prestigious award.

Previous winners include Adele, Sam Smith, Years and Years, Celeste and 21-year-old Norwegian pop star Sigrid.