The 2026 BRIT Awards, the UK's equivalent to the Grammys, will take place this Saturday at Manchester's Co-op Live, but they've already revealed one winner. PinkPantheress, the wildly influential singer, songwriter, and producer and Alysa Liu inspiration will be honored as Producer Of The Year. We're again reminded that she is not the weakest link.
At 24, the artist born Victoria Walker is the youngest person to win the award. Steve Levine, the previous youngest winner, was 25 when he was named Producer Of The Year in 1984.
PinkPantheress is also somehow the first woman to be named Producer Of The Year by the BRITs, even though they've been handing it out annually since 1977. "As the first woman to win this award, I’m grateful to be recognized," she said in a statement. "My music production is the thing I’m proudest of, and I’ve worked really hard at it, so I hope this inspires others to pursue their passion."
PinkPantheress got her start making beats on GarageBand in her college dorm room. Since breaking through via TikTok half a decade ago, her delicate bedroom-pop-style vocals and reclamation of Y2K-era sounds like UK garage have made her not just a star in her own right but a lodestar for a generation of young acts. Her mixtape Fancy That was one of last year's best full-lengths; the version of its hit "Stateside" featuring Zara Larsson from the companion album Fancy Some More? is currently climbing the US charts.
Other winners announced in advance for Saturday include Mark Ronson, who'll receive he Outstanding Contribution To Music prize, and Noel Gallagher, who'll be Songwriter Of The Year despite not releasing any new songs in 2025. (Låpsley is displeased.)
