PinkPantheress Wins First VMA and Remixes Tinashe

PinkPantheress is having a moment that keeps building. On Sunday, September 28, she won her first-ever MTV VMA, taking home the Best Art Direction award for the "Stateside" remix with Zara Larsson. The award was part of the non-televised ceremony block, but PinkPantheress was in the building regardless, photographed with Charli XCX and clearly locked into the upper tier of pop's current conversation.

The moonman win was notable on its own. But the bigger news for fans of both artists dropped the same night.

What Is the PinkPantheress and Tinashe Collaboration?

Tinashe released a bonus version of her new album Popstar on Sunday, and it includes a PinkPantheress remix of the deep cut "Twentyfive Eight." The remix is currently exclusive to iTunes, meaning it has not hit Spotify or Apple Music streaming yet. PinkPantheress confirmed on social media that she co-produced the track alongside Count Baldor.

This collab did not come out of nowhere. PinkPantheress said publicly last year that Tinashe was an artist she wanted to produce. At the American Music Awards in May 2026, Tinashe confirmed the two were actively working together. More recently, PinkPantheress called Tinashe's "Crash Out" her song of the year. When two artists are publicly gassing each other up over multiple months, the music that follows tends to carry that energy.

Tinashe did not attend the VMAs on Sunday. She was performing at All Things Go DC instead, which says a lot about where she is right now as a live act.

Why This Moment Matters Beyond the Award

The VMA win for Best Art Direction is worth paying attention to beyond the category name. Visual identity has always been central to PinkPantheress's project. Her aesthetic is precise, the Y2K nostalgia runs through everything she puts out, and the "Stateside" visual with Zara Larsson was a clear extension of that. Recognition in that lane affirms that her creative direction is landing the way she intends.

The Tinashe remix landing the same night is the kind of timing that rarely happens by accident. Popstar has been one of the more critically discussed R&B albums of 2026, and adding a PinkPantheress production to its bonus edition gives the project a second wave of attention at exactly the right moment. For Tinashe, who has spent years building a loyal fanbase through consistent output and live performance rather than a single viral moment, this is the kind of collab that brings in a new audience without compromising what she has already built.

For PinkPantheress, producing for another artist is a different lane than the one she is best known for. She has a signature sound as a vocalist and songwriter, the drum breaks, the compressed nostalgia, the emotional precision. Hearing her apply that production instinct to someone else's material is genuinely interesting, and the clip that has surfaced online suggests the remix fits "Twentyfive Eight" without overwriting what made the original work.

The fact that the full remix is only on iTunes right now is a real limitation for streaming-first listeners. But it also means that when it does hit broader platforms, it will get a second round of attention. That is a reasonable rollout strategy for a bonus project that does not need to compete with the main album.

For independent producers and artists watching this from the outside, the PinkPantheress and Tinashe collaboration is a clean example of what a long-game creative relationship looks like. Public mentions, a slow build, a festival confirmation, and then the actual release. No forced announcement, no manufactured rollout. Just two artists who clearly respect each other's work finding the right moment to make something together.

If you are an artist with a track you think fits a specific collaborator's world, [submit it through our platform](/submit) and let the right people hear it. That is how these conversations start.

Where to Watch This Collab Go Next

The iTunes exclusivity will not last forever. Once "Twentyfive Eight (PinkPantheress Remix)" hits streaming, expect it to move. Both artists have dedicated listener bases that overlap more than the algorithms currently reflect, and this kind of release tends to surface that shared audience fast.

Keep an eye on whether Tinashe brings any Popstar bonus material into her live sets. She is clearly in an active touring moment, and PinkPantheress performing or appearing at a future date is not out of the question given how publicly warm their relationship has been this year. That would be the next headline worth watching.