PinkPantheress has teamed up with MJ Cole for a new version of his UK Garage classic “Sincere.”
The song, first released in 1998, is widely considered one of the essential tracks to emerge from the UKG scene and has appeared as a staple in DJ sets and compilations since. It first landed at No. 38 on the U.K. Singles Chart, but a re-release in 2000 sent it up to No. 13.
The new version “Still Sincere,” released via 892 Recordings/Platoon, features PinkPantheress in the leading singing role, replacing the sampled and chopped up vocals from the original. Listen below.
Speaking on the release, PinkPantheress said: “I’m so thrilled I got to work with MJ Cole on this remix. He’s honestly a garage legend and it’s kinda surreal collaborating with someone whose legacy inspired bits of my early work.”
Garage music burst out of the London clubbing scene in the ‘90s and ‘00s, and fused influences from house, R&B, dub and beyond for a unique sound. The sound was highly influential and tracks from So Solid Crew, Artful Dodger, Craig David, Mis-teeq, and Shanks & Bigfoot all performed well on the U.K. Singles Chart.
PinkPantheress – born in 2001 – has credited the scene as a formative influence on her own music. Her 2021 single “Pain” sampled “Flowers” by Sweet Female Attitude and speaking to NPR, she said the ubiquity of the songs helped inspire her early releases: “I think the reason [UK Garage] is so popular in the UK is that they’re super palatable and you can play them anywhere and everyone will know the lyrics.”
MJ Cole’s career soared following the song’s original release. His debut album, also called Sincere, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and at the BRIT Awards; he would later go on to produce tracks for Dizzee Rascal and Katy B, and remix Amy Winehouse, Mariah Carey, De La Soul, Alicia Keys and more.
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