Pink Pantheress named Producer of the Year as pink pantheress makes BRIT Awards history
pink pantheress has been named Producer of the Year ahead of the BRIT Awards ceremony, a milestone that makes her the first woman and the youngest person ever to receive the prize since it began in 1977. The announcement lands days before the show in Manchester and caps a rapid rise from bedroom demos to international hits.
Pink Pantheress will collect the award at Co-op Live in Manchester
Victoria Beverley Walker, who performs as Pink Pantheress, is set to be handed the Producer of the Year prize at Co-op Live on Saturday, February 28. The ceremony marks the first time the BRIT Awards will be held in Manchester and the first time the event takes place outside London in its 49-year history. The show, hosted by Jack Whitehall, features an award created by Matthew Williamson inspired by Manchester’s worker bee mascot, and will be shown live on television and streamed online from 8. 15pm ET.
First woman and youngest ever: a historic producer prize
The 24-year-old will be the first woman to be given the Producer of the Year prize since its inception in 1977 and is also the youngest ever recipient. Until now, Kate Bush was the only other female producer to have been nominated for the prize, for her 1989 album The Sensual World. Pink Pantheress described the long absence of female winners as "crazy, " adding, "I guess it's bittersweet that I'm the first one, the first woman, to get it. " She also said, "As young as I am, it feels almost a bit crazy. Like, I'm not really legendary enough to be receiving it - but you know, I will definitely take it!"
A rapid rise from uploads to more than a billion streams
Her breakthrough traces back to GarageBand-produced songs uploaded online in 2020 and to two lo-fi breakout tracks posted on social platforms five years ago, Break it Off and Pain. Those tracks were written in the dead of night in her university room and rooted in UK garage and drum and bass, a burst of attention that earned her the Sound of 2022 award. Since then she has racked up over one billion streams and secured a major worldwide hit with 2023's Boy's a Liar, Pt. 2. Her catalogue includes Illegal, Stateside, Boy’s A Liar and Nice to Meet You.
Self-taught production, quirky gear and clear influences
Her production style—described as full of skittering breakbeats and sugar-strand melodies—is entirely self-taught. She says she started producing at 17 when a friend from her girl's school needed someone to produce her songs, and she learned the basics by watching online tutorials. She cites female artists Nia Archives, Tinashe and WondaGurl as inspirations who "made me feel like it was possible. " Without studio resources she improvised: "Quite literally, I did not have a microphone, but I had a karaoke game on the Nintendo Wii and they gave you a mic with the game. And I just was like, 'It has a USB connection, maybe it will work, '" she recalled. Even now, she records many vocals at home with a sock stretched over the microphone to prevent popping and sibilance.
Mixtapes, nominations and the broader awards roll call
Last year's punchy, sample-heavy mixtape Fancy That became her first top 10 album and was nominated for the Mercury Prize; the same mixtape also earned her two Grammy nominations and was shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize. At this year's BRIT Awards she is also nominated for Best Dance Act and British Artist of the Year.
The Producer of the Year announcement is the fourth BRIT winner revealed so far for 2026: Jacob Alon was named Critics' Choice Award winner, Mark Ronson received Outstanding Contribution to Music, and Noel Gallagher was named Songwriter of the Year. Stacey Tang, Chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and Co‑President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK, praised Pink Pantheress as "both an inventive and instinctive voice in British pop right now, " saying that as a producer she is "precise and playful, building bold, boundary‑expanding sounds that travel beyond the UK" and that celebrating her at the BRITs is "both timely and significant. " The ceremony will include performances from Harry Styles, Sombr, Rosalia and Wolf Alice.
Other items noted in the wider coverage
Justin Thomas underwent a procedure to fix a disc issue in his back in November and has been recovering since. Coverage also notes that the two sides in an unspecified negotiation appear to remain far apart on fundamental issues, though Napheesa Collier said last week that "negotiations are trending in the right direction. " A new season of an unspecified programme will begin on CBS on Wednesday, Feb. 25. A figure named Woods rejoined the Rams as a coach less than a week after announcing his retirement as a player with the team. Team USA is described as looking for redemption in the 2026 World Baseball Classic after losing t — unclear in the provided context.
