What is the song of the summer 2026? - PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson – "Stateside"

0:03 Callaroga Shark Media. I'm Garrett Fisher and this is the Hit Maker Chronicles. Last week we kicked off our Song of the Summer twenty twenty sixth series by looking at the front runner, Ella Langley's Choosing Texas, the country ballad that spent ten non consecutive weeks at number one. This week, we're looking at something completely different, a song that wasn't even on most people's radar until a figure skater landed a triple axle to it at the Winter Olympics and turned it into a global phenomenon overnight Stateside by Pink Panthers and Zara Larson, the intercontinental collaboration the Olympics, Boost the Boots, that's my ego. Boost hook that you can't escape on, TikTok, the song that went from niche to everywhere in a matter of weeks. Ken, a song that peaked because of the Olympics, sustained momentum through an entire summer.

1:03 Can an international collaboration between a UK experimental pop artist and a Swedish pop star, compete with homegrown American hits for Song of the Summer And what happens when a song's biggest moment happens in February, but it doesn't fully explode until March. Let's start with Pink Pantherists because her story is essential to understanding why Stateside works. Pink Pantherists real name Victoria Beverly Walker is twenty four years old and from Bath, England. She started making music in her bedroom while studying at university, uploading short songs to TikTok that mixed elements of UK garage, drum and bass, jungle, and pop into something that sounded simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic.

1:46 Her early tracks were barely two minutes long. They sampled nineties and early two thousands music. They had this lo fi diy quality that felt intimate despite being electronic, and they went viral on TikTok in twenty twenty one, not through any traditional marketing, but just through people discovering them and sharing them because they sounded unlike anything else. Songs like Pain and Break It Off became TikTok hits before most people even knew who Pink Pantheris was. She was anonymous, initially, just a voice and a sound. When she finally started doing interviews and appearing in public. She maintained this enigmatic quality. She didn't over explain her music, didn't try to fit into easy categories, just kept making these short, hypnotic tracks that people couldn't stop listening to. Her debut mixtape, to Hell With It came out in twenty twenty one, Her album Heaven Nose dropped in early twenty twenty three, and then in May twenty twenty five, she released Fancy That, which showed her expanding her sound, working with bigger producers, getting more confident in her production choices, while still maintaining that distinctive pink pantheris esthetic, and then came stateside original.

3:00 It was just a Pink pantherist track on Fancy That, a good one, but not necessarily the standout. It had that bouncing UK garage rhythm, her breathy vocals, lyrics about wanting someone to stay but knowing they won't classic Pink pantheress. But in late twenty twenty five, someone at her label had an idea, what if they brought in a feature for a remix, Someone with pop credibility, someone who could take the track to a wider audience, someone whose voice would compliment pink Pantheress's delicate delivery. They called Zara Larson. Zara is twenty eight years old from Stockholm, Sweden. She won the Swedish version of Got Talent when she was ten years old. She's been a professional pop star for over a decade. Massive in Europe, huge in the UK and with a track record of hits that includes Lush Life, Never Forget You and Symphony, Zara knows how to make pop music that works internationally. Her voice is powerful, technically perfect, the kind of instrument that can sell any melody, and when she heard Stateside, she understood what it needed. A bigger chorus, a voice that could lift the track from bedroom pop to something that could fill arenas. The State Side remix was recorded with both artists contributing new verses and sharing the chorus. Pink Pantherus's ethereal, almost whispered delivery contrasted with Zara's full voice power. The production was beefed up slightly, The drums hit harder, the bass was deeper,

4:31 but it still maintained that garage pop feel that made the original work. And then there was the hook, the line that would become the song's signature moment. Boots, that's my ego boost. It's sung in unison by both artists and it's one of those lines that simultaneously nonsensical and perfectly clear. It doesn't mean anything specific, what are boots? Why are they an ego boost? But emotionally it captures that feeling of putting on the right eye outfit and feeling invincible. It's playful, it's confident. It's the kind of lyric that gets stuck in your head and doesn't leave. The remix was released in January twenty twenty six. It got some traction. It charted modestly. Radio picked it up in the UK and across Europe. In the US it was bubbling under, getting playlist ads on streaming services, building slowly, and then came the Winter Olympics. The twenty twenty six Winter Olympics were held in Milan and Cortina, Dmpezzo, Italy.

5:31 Figure skating is always one of the marquee events, and American skater Alyssa Lou was one of the favorites in the women's competition. Alissa is twenty years old from the San Francisco Bay Area, and she's known for her technical precision and her artistic performances for her long program, Alyssa and her choreographer chose Stateside. The song's tempo was perfect for skating. The build and release of the chorus worked for the technical elements, and that boots, That's my ego boot boost moment hit right as Alyssa landed a triple axle, one of the most difficult jumps in women's figure skating. Alyssa skated the performance of her life. She landed every jump, Her artistry was flawless, and when she threw her arms up after that triple axle on boots, That's my ego Boost, the crowd at the arena erupted. She won the gold medal.

6:24 The performance was broadcast to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Clips of it went immediately viral on social media and everyone was asking the same question, what is this song? Within twenty four hours, Stateside entered the top ten on iTunes in over thirty countries. Within a week, it had jumped to number fifteen on the Billboard Hot one hundred stream skyrocketed radio stations that had been playing it moderately started putting it in heavy rotation. TikTok users started making videos using the boots, that's my ego boost sound and the The song kept climbing. By early March, it hit the top ten. By late March it was number three, held off only by Ella Langley and whoever was challenging her that week. As of mid June, Stateside has been in the top ten for over three months. It's accumulated over six hundred million streams on Spotify. The TikTok sound has been used in over three million videos. Radio continues to play it constantly. It's become one of the defining songs of twenty twenty six. And it all happened because a figure skater landed a triple axel. Now let's talk about why this matters for the song of the Summer race.

7:38 Stateside has several things working in its favor. First, it's genuinely international in a way that most American hits aren't. Pink Pantherus is British, Zara Larson is Swedish. The song mixes UK garage with Swedish pop sensibilities. It's not trying to sound American, and that international flavor is part of its appeal in a summer where music consumption is increasingly global, where TikTok and streaming have broken down geographic barriers. A song that feels like it could come from anywhere and belongs everywhere has an advantage. Second, the Olympics boost gave it a story. This isn't just a song that got pushed by a label and happened to connect. It's a song that became part of a moment. Alyssa lose gold medal performance. People associate Stateside with that triumph, with watching her Land, that triple axle, with the emotion of the Olympics.

8:32 That narrative power is valuable. Songs that have stories attached to them tend to stick around longer because people remember the context, not just the melody. Third, and this is crucial. The song is incredibly fun. Where choosing Texas is emotional and reflective, Stateside is pure energy. It makes you want to move. That boots that's my ego. Boost hook is irresistible. You can't not sing along. And in summer when people want music that makes them feel good, that kind of infectious joy is powerful. We'll be right back. But Stateside also has some challenges. The biggest one is sustainability. The Olympics boost was massive, but it was also tied to a specific moment in time February twenty twenty six, where now four months removed from that. Can the song maintain momentum without new catalysts. The TikTok virality helps. Every time someone makes a new video with the boots That's my Ego boost sound, it reintroduces the song to potentially millions of people. The sound is being used for everything from fashion halls to workout videos to people just dancing in their rooms. That constant regeneration of content keeps the song feeling current. But there's a risk with TikTok trends. They can burn out fast. What's viral in March can feel tired by July, and if people start to associate Stateside

10:05 primarily with that one specific hook rather than the whole song, it could limit its longevity. The other challenge is competition from newer releases. Harry Styles just dropped Aperture and it's building fast. Bruno Mars has I Just Might, which is getting massive radio play. Olivia Rodrigo's Drop Dead is still in the mix. Noah Kahan has multiple tracks from the Great Divide that could surge. All of these are strong contenders and they're all releasing its strategic times. Stateside had its big moment in February and March. Can it hold off songs that are peaking right now in the heart of summer. Historically, songs of the Summer need to be strong throughout the entire tracking period Memorial Day through Labor Day.

10:51 A song that peaked in February and March needs to prove it can still be relevant in July and August. That's hard to do without a second wind. One thing working in state Side's favor is radio commitment. Pop radio especially has really embraced the song. Program directors love it because it works in multiple day parts. It's energetic enough for morning drive, polished enough for evening playlists, and the hook is memorable enough that listeners request it. Adult contemporary radio has picked it up, too, which is interesting because state Side isn't a typical AC song. It's not a ballad, it's not particularly sentimental, but that Boots hook has cross generational appeal. Parents like it, kids like it. That broad appeal matters for song of the Summer. Internationally, state Side is even bigger than it is in the US. In the UK, it's been top five for months in Sweden, Zara's home country. It's been number one for weeks across Europe.

11:52 It's a phenomenon in Australia, New Zealand, Canada. It's massive that global success could help it win Song of the Summer in the US because Billboard's methodology increasingly takes into account streaming data that includes international listeners who stream through US platforms. A song that's huge worldwide has an advantage. Let's talk about the artists themselves and how they're handling the success. Pink Pantherist has been characteristically low key about it. She's doing interviews, performing the song at festivals, but she's not oversaturating. She seems to understand that part of her appeal is maintaining some mystique, not being everywhere all at once.

12:32 Zara Larson, on the other hand, is a pro at this. She's been on every major talk show, performed at awards shows, done radio tours. She knows how to work a hit song, how to keep it in the conversation. That balance between Pink Pantheris's cool detachment and Zara's media savvy promotion is actually working in the song's favor. It appeals to people who like underground artists and people who like mainstream pop. The remix format all so helps on streaming services, people can choose between the original Pink Pantherist version and the Zara Larson remix. Some prefer the more intimate original, some prefer the bigger pop version. Having both options means the song can appeal to different audiences without alienating either. And then there's the fashion element. Both Pink Pantherists and Zara are style icons in their respective scenes. The Boots lyric has led to countless fashion related tiktoks, Instagram posts, outfit videos.

13:30 The song has become associated with getting dressed up, feeling confident, going out That summer energy, getting ready for parties, festivals, nights out is exactly what song of the Summer is supposed to capture. So where does Stateside stand in the race. It's a strong contender, not the front runner that's still Ella Langley, but a legitimate threat. It has the international appeal that choosing Texas doesn't have. It has the fun factor that might give it an edge we get deeper into summer. It has the Olympics story that makes it memorable beyond just being a catchy song. But it needs to prove it can last three months in the top ten is impressive, but Song of the Summer needs to dominate the entire summer. That means staying strong through July and August, when people are actually on vacation, at beaches, at pools, making summer memories. The next few weeks are crucial for Stateside. If it can maintain top ten status, if radio keeps supporting it, if TikTok keeps generating new content around it, it has a real shot. But if newer songs start pushing it down the charts, if people start feeling like they've heard Boots that's my ego boost too many times, it could fade before summer is even halfway done. Right now, I'd say state Side is the number two contender behind choosing Texas. It's the song most likely to upset Ella Langley. It has momentum, it has a story, It has that undeniable hook, But it also

15:01 has questions to answer about sustainability and whether an Olympics boost in February can carry through to September. One thing's for sure, Stateside has already accomplished something remarkable. It took two artists from different countries making different kinds of pop music, brought them together for a collaboration that could have easily felt forced, and created something that feels natural and inevitable. It turned a figure skating performance into a cultural moment. It gave us a hook that will be stuck in people's heads for years. Whether that makes it Song of the Summer twenty twenty six remains to be seen, but it's definitely made this a more interesting race. This is Garrett Fisher and this is the hit Maker Chronicles. Join us next week as we look at contender number three, Harry Styles Aperture, the comeback single that's bringing disco funk to twenty twenty six and reminding everyone why Harry is one of the biggest stars in music. By the way, follow hit Maker Chronicles on spot and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. And while you're there, leave us a comment on Spotify and let us know what you think about today's song. We're also trying to spread the words, so if you like the show, please tell a friend or even better, share an episode with them.