{"id":1802319,"date":"2026-03-02T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1802319"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:00:00","slug":"alt-girls-get-their-flowers-oklou-and-pinkpantheress-go-head-to-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1802319","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Alt girls get their flowers\u2019: Oklou and PinkPantheress go head-to-head"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/629\/0-170-629-419\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438599.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/69734\/1\/oklou-pinkpantheress-choke-enough-motherhood-spring-2026-issue\" data-article-id=\"69734\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.76\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_CoverIndex_03\" class=\"img\" height=\"831\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/629\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438599.jpg\" width=\"629\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-02T17:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018Alt girls get their flowers\u2019: Oklou and PinkPantheress <span class=\"nowrap\">go head-to-head<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Topping best album lists worldwide in 2025, Oklou has cemented her status as experimental pop\u2019s most exciting new voice. Here, she connects with\u00a0PinkPantheress to talk trouble with Auto-Tune, young motherhood and finding <span class=\"nowrap\">her voice<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-02T17:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-02T17:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/TiarnaMeehan\">Tiarna<\/a><\/span><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Photography\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Photography<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/Lengua\">Lengua<\/a><\/span><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Styling\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Styling<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/IsabelleSayer\">Isabelle Sayer<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-10-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Oklou \u2013 The Spring <span class=\"nowrap\">2026 Issue<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/0\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_02\" class=\"img\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-74-1021-680\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" width=\"1021\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/1\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_06\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438592.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/2\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_03\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-78-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438589.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/3\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_04\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-84-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/4\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_05\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-270-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/5\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_10\" class=\"img\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1350-900\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 10 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"bf036af5-17d1-4361-a77c-b3fb00eec7c6\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1021\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.76\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_02\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1021\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" width=\"1021\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton voile dress and leather and rubber shoes Chlo\u00e9, socks <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from March 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/oklou\">Oklou<\/a> has dreamt up a universe of her own. The French singer, producer and DJ draws you into her diaphanous world through her experimental electro-pop and the ethereal visuals that accompany it. One NTS session last winter saw her perform at an ice rink in Streatham, <\/span><span>cocooned in a puffer jacket with rope-long plaits grazing her knees as diamant\u00e9-dripped skaters twirled around her. In last year\u2019s video for \u201cviscus\u201d, she prowled around a blue-lit garage in search of a glassy red flute alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/fka-twigs\">FKA twigs<\/a>. And in the clip for \u201ctake me by the hand\u201d, she was caught in the midst of a blizzard inside her purple-washed apartment <\/span><span>as another collaborator, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/bladee\">Bladee<\/a>, emerged from a glowing portal like a creature from another dimension.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Raised in the countryside outside Poitiers, a city in western France, the musician born Marylou Mayniel has spent the past 13 years conjuring escapist soundscapes from the underbelly of experimental pop. Grounded in classical training and shaped by the more exploratory edges of electronic music, her work bends the genre towards something more atmospheric. With her debut album, last year\u2019s <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>, she lured in a wider audience through her bruised meditations on intimacy and connection in the digital age. The record featured at the top of numerous best-album lists in 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69266\/1\/the-20-best-albums-of-2025-rosalia-oklou-dave-geese-addison-rae\">including our own<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For her first Dazed cover, Oklou sat down on Zoom to field questions from fellow pop auteur <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\">PinkPantheress<\/a>. The pair can barely remember where they first met, only that it was at an indie show several years prior. But the entanglement of their musical worlds is far easier to identify, from their work with producers like Danny L Harle and Casey MQ to pairing up on their own track, \u201cGirl Like Me + Oklou\u2019, last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Since that first encounter, their interactions have largely played out online, which is fitting for two people whose early careers have been tethered to the internet: Oklou found her audience at the digital fringes of Europe\u2019s experimental pop underground, sharing tracks to SoundCloud and YouTube, while PinkPantheress drew in listeners with self-produced snippets that gained traction online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"0d781a07-46be-4172-8014-b3fb00eef67e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_04\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton poplin coat and skirt and leather and rubber <span class=\"nowrap\">shoes Chlo\u00e9.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Over the past few years, both have definitively emerged from alt corners of the internet to amass legions of devoted fans; it\u2019s from this context that Oklou\u2019s debut album emerged. As she unleashed <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span> into the universe, the musician was preparing for another life shift: in spring 2025, she welcomed the birth of her first child, Zakaria. She continued making music during this period, dropping a trance-inflected remix album and clocking up cameos on Danny LHarle\u2019s Cerulean and PinkPantheress\u2019 own remix project <\/span><em><span>Fancy Some More?<\/span><\/em><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, ahead of a year filled with festival appearances where their orbits will collide once more, the pair connect through the screen to discuss motherhood, Auto-Tune and growing up in public.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I had the privilege of having you jump on my remix tape and I felt like that was the perfect combination of our sounds. I remember your manager was like, \u2018She\u2019s so busy right now, but she really wants to do this.\u2019 I was just thinking to myself, \u2018How do you <\/span><span>manage the time between being a new mum and having this flourishing career?\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou: <\/strong><span>I think I had just given birth so I wasn\u2019t working at all. But it\u2019s true that I really wanted to do the remix. I was not going to say no to PinkPantheress there\u2019s no way! So, you know, I drank some orange juice and it was fine. That was the beginning of the postpartum, which was extremely insane \u2013 it was chaos. I had time off in the summer and then from September I got back to work and touring. It was harder than I\u2019d imagined, even though I knew it would be difficult. You need to learn how to do every aspect of everyday life differently. It\u2019s crazy, but you have no choice anyway, so you make it work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Just for the record, I really want to have a child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I know! I\u2019ve heard you saying this during an interview, and I thought it was really cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> When I saw you, I was just like, \u2018I would do anything for this to be me.\u2019 I always think that when cool artists like yourself have babies. When your son grows up, he\u2019s gonna listen to your music and realise his mum is so cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><em> [laughs]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"42b6e259-ffb2-41c9-9294-b3fb00ef02f3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.16\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_10\" class=\"img\" height=\"1166\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Silk dress McQueen, shoes worn throughout <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Anyway, it\u2019s been great to see you receive so much praise for <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>. Did anything about the reaction to your album surprise you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Yes, I was super surprised and still am. I was nominated for this new prize in France [the Prix Jos\u00e9phine], for best album of the year, and I won. I was so far from thinking it could ever have happened for this album. Obviously, I have my opinion about the record \u2013 I love it, but I also know its flaws but I\u2019m so grateful and happy that people are more gentle with it than I am.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I\u2019m so happy. As someone who also makes alternative electronic [music], it\u2019s nice to see alternative girls get their flowers. When I try to describe your music, I literally just can\u2019t. It\u2019s so specific to you. The instrumentation and the way that your voice interacts with it&#8230; it feels really hard to put into a category. It almost reminds me of medieval music, that&#8217;s kind of what I love about it. Do you find that you struggle when you don\u2019t fit into a genre? Has it been hard to find your space in the music industry?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Well, before finding it hard to fit in the music industry, I just thought it was hard to find my sound. It took me years, which is natural, but I was experimenting before <\/span><em><span>Galore<\/span><\/em><span> [Oklou\u2019s mixtape, released in 2020]. It took me some time because I did it all alone; I wanted to be in charge because instrumentation is very important for me. Regarding the music industry, honestly, I just don\u2019t think about it. But I want to return the compliment. Your sound is so unique, and you have this quality that cannot be done by anybody else.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt took me years to find my sound because I wanted to be in charge\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Oh, thank you very much. I really want to know, because your voice in your music sounds so ethereal. If you care to share, do you process your vocals and how?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I process them a lot; I always have. That\u2019s because the melodies I choose to write cannot be done without Auto-Tune. I\u2019ve been singing since I was a child in choirs and bands so I can sing, but eventually I chose to put my voice at the service of the melody and not the other way around. What about you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I\u2019m the same as you. I use it stylistically for my melodies, because I think our melodies are sometimes quite similar. I have an obsession with sounding exactly how I sound on the track live, even if people are sometimes like, \u2018Oh, she must be lip-syncing because it sounds exactly the same.\u2019 I see so many comments where people don\u2019t really know what Auto-Tune is or why it\u2019s used. I just don\u2019t think people have any tolerance for it to be used in stylistic ways. It took me a long time to figure it out, because I lost a lot of hearing in one ear. I\u2019m still figuring a lot out as a performer. Do you get stage fright? Or would you say that you\u2019re pretty confident?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> No, I think I\u2019m confident now. But if it\u2019s the start of a new live show and I have a lot of things to think about during the show, I can be pretty stressed out. I learned to manage stress at a really young age because I was on stage doing classical auditions when I was at music school. I learned that if you make a mistake, it\u2019s really OK and nothing bad\u2019s gonna happen when you get on stage. That really followed me until today, which is a great tool, because it makes the experience easy for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"60966a21-4668-4c49-84e2-b3fb00ef09e1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438597.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_14\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438597.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton poplin <span class=\"nowrap\">trenchcoat Chlo\u00e9<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"8c1791d8-c209-4db8-b1ca-b3fb00eefb38\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_05\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes Talia Byre, hat stylist\u2019s own, shoes <span class=\"nowrap\">as before<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I haven\u2019t had the privilege of seeing you live. When you were on tour I was also on tour, so I couldn\u2019t see you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I saw you live a while ago. I think it was Primavera Sound in Los Angeles [in 2022].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Oh my God, that is horrible. You need to see me perform now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> No, it was great. You felt so confident, with the handbag.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span><em> [laughs]<\/em> Yes, every time. Thank you very much. When you were making <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>, <em>[coughs] <\/em>\u2013 oh my God, I\u2019m choking now \u2013 what was the process between you and Casey [MQ]?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Casey fills in spaces where I either don\u2019t know what to do or have an idea I can\u2019t fully realise on my own. He helps shape the lyrics and we spend hours discussing the album as a whole \u2013 the meaning behind it, the titles, the track order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> That reminds me a lot of how [Casey and I] work together as well. It\u2019s actually so funny because he has a major in classical music. I find it hilarious that there\u2019s a big link between classical composers and electronic music.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<span>Arca texted me at the end of my show, and she was like, \u2018That was so cunt.\u2019 And I remember not knowing what cunt meant. I was like, \u2018What the fuck does that mean?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I love it. I think that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been looking for, having grown up in a very academic universe where people have elitist opinions on pop music. When I discovered PC Music and the work of Danny [L Harle], Sophie and AG Cook, I found in their music this love for and prioritisation of seeking the emotion first. I could feel this love for pop music, which was significant for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> You can really hear it in your music as well, almost like it\u2019s a branch of PC Music. Even some of my own music I would describe as being in a similar space. I met so many great artists when I was young and I\u2019ve always felt incredibly lucky to learn from people like that, to absorb their insight, which musically shaped me a lot. I consider Danny to be a mentor of mine. My favourite song on <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span> is \u2018take me by the hand\u2019 with Bladee. I love Bladee. Have you known him for a while?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I met him for the first time in a living room in London \u2013 this was in 2015, I think. I was hanging out with my friend Barbara [Braccini, AKA French producer Malibu], and I have followed his project ever since. But we never got in touch until \u2018take me by the hand\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> One of the first artists I ever met was Arca. That was one of my first ever shows; Dua Lipa came to my 100-person show and then the next night Arca came. They were just stood at the back. I\u2019ll never forget Arca texted me at the end, and she was like, \u2018That was so cunt.\u2019 And I remember not knowing what cunt meant. I was like, \u2018What the fuck does that mean? Did she just call me&#8230;? Did she just say it was bad?\u2019 <em>[laughs]<\/em> That was the first introduction I had to this world and it was so crazy. I still can\u2019t believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span> This is such a random question, but do you sleep with your baby in the bed? I actually am so curious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span><em> [laughs]<\/em> Yeah. It\u2019s a topic I could talk about for hours. But I do sleep with my baby because I want to sleep as well. One day it will be over, but he really wants to be in the bed with us\u00a0 and sleeps better when he is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> That is so cute. I\u2019m glad we got to speak. I hope we get to meet again at Laneway [Festival]! Even though we met years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Yeah&#8230; I guess we\u2019re going to be together, right!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Hair Kevyn Charo, make-up Satoko Watanabe at Artlist Paris using M.A.C, nails Eden Tonda, set design Beatrice Bonino, photographic assistant Ricardo Mu\u00f1oz Carter, styling assistants Cait Hallam, Maria Fernandez, Aliz\u00e9e Tilagone Le Borgne, production Cl\u00e9mence Delafontaine at Company Paris, production assistants Simon Bandiera, Luc de la Motte, post-production Lengua at Drive Represents.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from March 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\">PinkPantheress<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/oklou\">Oklou<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69734\/1\/oklou-pinkpantheress-choke-enough-motherhood-spring-2026-issue#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-10-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Oklou \u2013 The Spring <span class=\"nowrap\">2026 Issue<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/0\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_02\" class=\"img\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-74-1021-680\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" width=\"1021\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/1\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_06\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438592.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/2\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_03\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-78-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438589.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/3\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_04\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-84-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/4\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_05\" class=\"img\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-270-1035-690\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36736\/5\/oklou-the-spring-2026-issue\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_10\" class=\"img\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1350-900\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 10 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"bf036af5-17d1-4361-a77c-b3fb00eec7c6\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1021\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.76\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_02\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1021\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438588.jpg\" width=\"1021\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton voile dress and leather and rubber shoes Chlo\u00e9, socks <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from March 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/oklou\">Oklou<\/a> has dreamt up a universe of her own. The French singer, producer and DJ draws you into her diaphanous world through her experimental electro-pop and the ethereal visuals that accompany it. One NTS session last winter saw her perform at an ice rink in Streatham, <\/span><span>cocooned in a puffer jacket with rope-long plaits grazing her knees as diamant\u00e9-dripped skaters twirled around her. In last year\u2019s video for \u201cviscus\u201d, she prowled around a blue-lit garage in search of a glassy red flute alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/fka-twigs\">FKA twigs<\/a>. And in the clip for \u201ctake me by the hand\u201d, she was caught in the midst of a blizzard inside her purple-washed apartment <\/span><span>as another collaborator, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/bladee\">Bladee<\/a>, emerged from a glowing portal like a creature from another dimension.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Raised in the countryside outside Poitiers, a city in western France, the musician born Marylou Mayniel has spent the past 13 years conjuring escapist soundscapes from the underbelly of experimental pop. Grounded in classical training and shaped by the more exploratory edges of electronic music, her work bends the genre towards something more atmospheric. With her debut album, last year\u2019s <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>, she lured in a wider audience through her bruised meditations on intimacy and connection in the digital age. The record featured at the top of numerous best-album lists in 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69266\/1\/the-20-best-albums-of-2025-rosalia-oklou-dave-geese-addison-rae\">including our own<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For her first Dazed cover, Oklou sat down on Zoom to field questions from fellow pop auteur <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\">PinkPantheress<\/a>. The pair can barely remember where they first met, only that it was at an indie show several years prior. But the entanglement of their musical worlds is far easier to identify, from their work with producers like Danny L Harle and Casey MQ to pairing up on their own track, \u201cGirl Like Me + Oklou\u2019, last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Since that first encounter, their interactions have largely played out online, which is fitting for two people whose early careers have been tethered to the internet: Oklou found her audience at the digital fringes of Europe\u2019s experimental pop underground, sharing tracks to SoundCloud and YouTube, while PinkPantheress drew in listeners with self-produced snippets that gained traction online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"0d781a07-46be-4172-8014-b3fb00eef67e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_04\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438590.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton poplin coat and skirt and leather and rubber <span class=\"nowrap\">shoes Chlo\u00e9.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Over the past few years, both have definitively emerged from alt corners of the internet to amass legions of devoted fans; it\u2019s from this context that Oklou\u2019s debut album emerged. As she unleashed <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span> into the universe, the musician was preparing for another life shift: in spring 2025, she welcomed the birth of her first child, Zakaria. She continued making music during this period, dropping a trance-inflected remix album and clocking up cameos on Danny LHarle\u2019s Cerulean and PinkPantheress\u2019 own remix project <\/span><em><span>Fancy Some More?<\/span><\/em><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, ahead of a year filled with festival appearances where their orbits will collide once more, the pair connect through the screen to discuss motherhood, Auto-Tune and growing up in public.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I had the privilege of having you jump on my remix tape and I felt like that was the perfect combination of our sounds. I remember your manager was like, \u2018She\u2019s so busy right now, but she really wants to do this.\u2019 I was just thinking to myself, \u2018How do you <\/span><span>manage the time between being a new mum and having this flourishing career?\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou: <\/strong><span>I think I had just given birth so I wasn\u2019t working at all. But it\u2019s true that I really wanted to do the remix. I was not going to say no to PinkPantheress there\u2019s no way! So, you know, I drank some orange juice and it was fine. That was the beginning of the postpartum, which was extremely insane \u2013 it was chaos. I had time off in the summer and then from September I got back to work and touring. It was harder than I\u2019d imagined, even though I knew it would be difficult. You need to learn how to do every aspect of everyday life differently. It\u2019s crazy, but you have no choice anyway, so you make it work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Just for the record, I really want to have a child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I know! I\u2019ve heard you saying this during an interview, and I thought it was really cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> When I saw you, I was just like, \u2018I would do anything for this to be me.\u2019 I always think that when cool artists like yourself have babies. When your son grows up, he\u2019s gonna listen to your music and realise his mum is so cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><em> [laughs]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"42b6e259-ffb2-41c9-9294-b3fb00ef02f3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.16\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_10\" class=\"img\" height=\"1166\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438594.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Silk dress McQueen, shoes worn throughout <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Anyway, it\u2019s been great to see you receive so much praise for <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>. Did anything about the reaction to your album surprise you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Yes, I was super surprised and still am. I was nominated for this new prize in France [the Prix Jos\u00e9phine], for best album of the year, and I won. I was so far from thinking it could ever have happened for this album. Obviously, I have my opinion about the record \u2013 I love it, but I also know its flaws but I\u2019m so grateful and happy that people are more gentle with it than I am.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I\u2019m so happy. As someone who also makes alternative electronic [music], it\u2019s nice to see alternative girls get their flowers. When I try to describe your music, I literally just can\u2019t. It\u2019s so specific to you. The instrumentation and the way that your voice interacts with it&#8230; it feels really hard to put into a category. It almost reminds me of medieval music, that&#8217;s kind of what I love about it. Do you find that you struggle when you don\u2019t fit into a genre? Has it been hard to find your space in the music industry?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Well, before finding it hard to fit in the music industry, I just thought it was hard to find my sound. It took me years, which is natural, but I was experimenting before <\/span><em><span>Galore<\/span><\/em><span> [Oklou\u2019s mixtape, released in 2020]. It took me some time because I did it all alone; I wanted to be in charge because instrumentation is very important for me. Regarding the music industry, honestly, I just don\u2019t think about it. But I want to return the compliment. Your sound is so unique, and you have this quality that cannot be done by anybody else.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt took me years to find my sound because I wanted to be in charge\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Oh, thank you very much. I really want to know, because your voice in your music sounds so ethereal. If you care to share, do you process your vocals and how?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I process them a lot; I always have. That\u2019s because the melodies I choose to write cannot be done without Auto-Tune. I\u2019ve been singing since I was a child in choirs and bands so I can sing, but eventually I chose to put my voice at the service of the melody and not the other way around. What about you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I\u2019m the same as you. I use it stylistically for my melodies, because I think our melodies are sometimes quite similar. I have an obsession with sounding exactly how I sound on the track live, even if people are sometimes like, \u2018Oh, she must be lip-syncing because it sounds exactly the same.\u2019 I see so many comments where people don\u2019t really know what Auto-Tune is or why it\u2019s used. I just don\u2019t think people have any tolerance for it to be used in stylistic ways. It took me a long time to figure it out, because I lost a lot of hearing in one ear. I\u2019m still figuring a lot out as a performer. Do you get stage fright? Or would you say that you\u2019re pretty confident?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> No, I think I\u2019m confident now. But if it\u2019s the start of a new live show and I have a lot of things to think about during the show, I can be pretty stressed out. I learned to manage stress at a really young age because I was on stage doing classical auditions when I was at music school. I learned that if you make a mistake, it\u2019s really OK and nothing bad\u2019s gonna happen when you get on stage. That really followed me until today, which is a great tool, because it makes the experience easy for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"60966a21-4668-4c49-84e2-b3fb00ef09e1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438597.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_14\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438597.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Cotton poplin <span class=\"nowrap\">trenchcoat Chlo\u00e9<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"8c1791d8-c209-4db8-b1ca-b3fb00eefb38\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_COV5_M5_Oklou_Lengua_IsabelleSayer_05\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438591.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes Talia Byre, hat stylist\u2019s own, shoes <span class=\"nowrap\">as before<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Lengua, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Isabelle Sayer<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> I haven\u2019t had the privilege of seeing you live. When you were on tour I was also on tour, so I couldn\u2019t see you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I saw you live a while ago. I think it was Primavera Sound in Los Angeles [in 2022].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> Oh my God, that is horrible. You need to see me perform now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> No, it was great. You felt so confident, with the handbag.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span><em> [laughs]<\/em> Yes, every time. Thank you very much. When you were making <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span>, <em>[coughs] <\/em>\u2013 oh my God, I\u2019m choking now \u2013 what was the process between you and Casey [MQ]?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Casey fills in spaces where I either don\u2019t know what to do or have an idea I can\u2019t fully realise on my own. He helps shape the lyrics and we spend hours discussing the album as a whole \u2013 the meaning behind it, the titles, the track order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> That reminds me a lot of how [Casey and I] work together as well. It\u2019s actually so funny because he has a major in classical music. I find it hilarious that there\u2019s a big link between classical composers and electronic music.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<span>Arca texted me at the end of my show, and she was like, \u2018That was so cunt.\u2019 And I remember not knowing what cunt meant. I was like, \u2018What the fuck does that mean?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I love it. I think that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been looking for, having grown up in a very academic universe where people have elitist opinions on pop music. When I discovered PC Music and the work of Danny [L Harle], Sophie and AG Cook, I found in their music this love for and prioritisation of seeking the emotion first. I could feel this love for pop music, which was significant for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> You can really hear it in your music as well, almost like it\u2019s a branch of PC Music. Even some of my own music I would describe as being in a similar space. I met so many great artists when I was young and I\u2019ve always felt incredibly lucky to learn from people like that, to absorb their insight, which musically shaped me a lot. I consider Danny to be a mentor of mine. My favourite song on <\/span><em><span>choke enough<\/span><\/em><span> is \u2018take me by the hand\u2019 with Bladee. I love Bladee. Have you known him for a while?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> I met him for the first time in a living room in London \u2013 this was in 2015, I think. I was hanging out with my friend Barbara [Braccini, AKA French producer Malibu], and I have followed his project ever since. But we never got in touch until \u2018take me by the hand\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> One of the first artists I ever met was Arca. That was one of my first ever shows; Dua Lipa came to my 100-person show and then the next night Arca came. They were just stood at the back. I\u2019ll never forget Arca texted me at the end, and she was like, \u2018That was so cunt.\u2019 And I remember not knowing what cunt meant. I was like, \u2018What the fuck does that mean? Did she just call me&#8230;? Did she just say it was bad?\u2019 <em>[laughs]<\/em> That was the first introduction I had to this world and it was so crazy. I still can\u2019t believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span> This is such a random question, but do you sleep with your baby in the bed? I actually am so curious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span><em> [laughs]<\/em> Yeah. It\u2019s a topic I could talk about for hours. But I do sleep with my baby because I want to sleep as well. One day it will be over, but he really wants to be in the bed with us\u00a0 and sleeps better when he is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PinkPantheress:<\/strong><span> That is so cute. I\u2019m glad we got to speak. I hope we get to meet again at Laneway [Festival]! Even though we met years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oklou:<\/strong><span> Yeah&#8230; I guess we\u2019re going to be together, right!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Hair Kevyn Charo, make-up Satoko Watanabe at Artlist Paris using M.A.C, nails Eden Tonda, set design Beatrice Bonino, photographic assistant Ricardo Mu\u00f1oz Carter, styling assistants Cait Hallam, Maria Fernandez, Aliz\u00e9e Tilagone Le Borgne, production Cl\u00e9mence Delafontaine at Company Paris, production assistants Simon Bandiera, Luc de la Motte, post-production Lengua at Drive Represents.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from March 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\">PinkPantheress<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/oklou\">Oklou<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69734\/1\/oklou-pinkpantheress-choke-enough-motherhood-spring-2026-issue&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/629\/0-170-629-419\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438599.jpg&#8221;] Photography Lengua, Styling Isabelle Sayer DateInMeta\u00a0 2,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ The Spring 2026 Issue \u2018Alt girls get their flowers\u2019: Oklou and PinkPantheress go head-to-head Topping best album lists worldwide in 2025, Oklou has cemented her status as experimental pop\u2019s most exciting new voice. Here, she connects with\u00a0PinkPantheress to talk trouble with Auto-Tune, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1802319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1802319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1802319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1802319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1802319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}