Illegal opens Fancy That with a question, not a declaration. “Hey, ooh, is this illegal?” she sings — as if she’s just turned around in a club and realised she’s crossed a line she didn’t know was there.
That line, like the one in her mind, isn’t marked clearly — it just feels like it shouldn’t be happening.
Illegal by PinkPantheress is about the thrill and guilt of a secretive connection that feels wrong even as it unfolds.
Released on May 9, 2025, and self-produced alongside aksel arvid, Illegal reimagines Underworld’s Dark & Long (Dark Train) into a woozy, fragmented reverie.
Speaking on the track, PinkPantheress said: “Illegal feels like coming home, it’s garage, gritty, and takes me right back to where I started with music. I’ve always loved that raw, late-night energy, and sampling Underworld felt like the perfect way to tap into that spirit while making it my own.”
The song doesn’t just sample the original — it repurposes it as setting.
From the very first beat, it’s clear: this isn’t about love. It’s about proximity, risk, and the kind of chemistry that feels like it’s breaking a rule you can’t name.
“You’re recommended to me by some people”
An understated opening. It reads like a whisper passed between mutuals at a party, or a line from a DM you weren’t expecting.
PinkPantheress paints the scene with economy: this is a setup, but not a safe one.
The lack of detail is the point — we’re being let in after the spark, during the smoke.
“Hey, ooh, is this illegal? / Hey, ooh, it feels illegal”
This refrain is the emotional hinge of the song. It’s not about lawbreaking. It’s about boundaries.
Emotional ones, social ones, maybe even moral ones. The hook turns a private doubt into a shared loop — playful on the surface, but disoriented underneath. It’s flirting with the edge of comfort.
“I’ve suffered quite a few times with paranoia / Oh, what’s your name? I don’t know what I should call ya”
These lines collapse intimacy and anxiety into the same breath. There’s guilt here, or at least hesitation.
The paranoia isn’t just a side effect of the situation — it is the situation.
The lack of names strips the relationship of any claim to reality. It’s all shadows and impressions.
“We’re getting high around the corner”
Not said with glamour or bravado — just placement. A detail meant to feel small, like it’s almost unimportant, except that in context it’s everything. Around the corner means unseen. Everything here happens off-stage.
“One after one, now you’re sittin’ on my bed”
Repetition is used masterfully throughout the track. Here, the line turns over on itself like a mantra.
The image — someone on her bed — is both incredibly ordinary and thick with implication.
You’re not just watching the scene, you’re stuck in it with her, reliving it each time.
“Then later on, I can feel shame in my head”
The emotional turning point. The party’s over. There’s no fallout, no confrontation — just that slow bleed of shame that hits when the adrenaline fades.
She doesn’t accuse or defend herself; she just acknowledges the weight.
“We’ll meet again when my head works like it used to”
This is the most vulnerable moment. It implies something’s broken — not between her and this person, but in her.
There’s no clarity on what caused it, only that she’s not thinking clearly, not feeling steady. The song keeps looping, just like her own logic.
“I like the fact that we don’t communicate / As long as you don’t tell all your best mates”
A gut-punch in a throwaway tone. The lack of communication is the feature, not the flaw. It’s a safeguard. This connection isn’t built to last — it’s built not to leave evidence.
“I think I smoked enough loud to reach the both of us / But tell me why my heartbeat is in a rush”
These lines flip intoxication from liberation to pressure. It’s not fun anymore. It’s sensory overload.
She’s still trying to numb the guilt or doubt, but her body’s already clocked the danger.
The Music Video: A Tartan Dreamscape of Obsession
The animated video, directed by Ethan & Tom, builds a stylised fever dream around the track.
PinkPantheress is portrayed as a kind of surreal siren — elusive, charming, and emotionally ungraspable. The visual narrative is playful but warped.
When Sekou Diaby (Boarders) appears, it’s not as a co-star, but as a participant in her world. He isn’t pursuing her — he’s trapped in her projection.
The video’s tartan aesthetic, kaleidoscopic pacing, and floating character expressions all lean into that same disoriented intimacy the lyrics evoke. Nothing’s grounded. Nothing stays real for long.
A New Kind of Control
There’s a shift in how PinkPantheress carries herself on Illegal. Nothing feels tentative.
The sound is sharper, the visuals more self-assured, and the writing more direct in its contradictions.
She’s not just refining an aesthetic — she’s learning how to twist it in her favour.
If early tracks asked questions quietly, this one shrugs and walks off mid-answer.
The confidence isn’t loud, but it’s unmistakable — and Fancy That is already stronger for it.
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Pinkpantheress Illegal Lyrics
Verse 1
My name is Pink and I’m really glad to meet you
You’re recommended to me by some people
Hey, ooh, is this illegal?
Hey, ooh, it feels illegal (Ha)
I’ve suffered quite a few times with paranoia
Oh, what’s your name? I don’t know what I should call ya
Hey, ooh, here’s twenty for ya
Hey, ooh, we’re getting high around the corner (Wow)
Chorus
One after one, now you’re sittin’ on my bed
Then, later on, we can talk on it instead
Two into one while you’re sittin’ on my bed
Then, later on, I can feel shame in my head
Verse 2
We’ll meet again when my head works like it used to
And maybe next time I’ll tell my girl, “Come through”
I like the fact that we don’t communicate
As long as you don’t tell all your best mates
Chorus
One after one, now you’re sittin’ on my bed
Then, later on, we can talk on it instead
Two into one while you’re sittin’ on my bed
Then, later on, I can feel shame in my head
One after one, now you’re— (Sittin’ on my bed)
And now you’re sittin’ on my bed
Two into one while you’re sittin’ on my bed
Then, later on, I can feel shame in my head
Verse 3
My name is Pink, and I’m really glad to meet you
You’re recommended to me by some people
I think I smoked enough loud to reach the both of us
But tell me why my heartbeat is in a rush
Bridge
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ooh
Hey, ooh, is this illegal? (Mm)
Hey, ooh, it feels illegal (Ah)
Outro
Wow
