PinkPantheress, a U.K. native, rose to prominence in 2021 when her songs “Pain” and “Break it off” went viral on TikTok. After her single, “Boy’s a liar,” recently went viral on the same social media site, she recruited Ice Spice to rap on the song’s sequel. Ice Spice hails from none other than the Bronx and was raised in the Fordham  neighborhood. She began rapping in 2021 and released her hit single “Munch (Feelin’ U),” which first garnered recognition through Drake’s support, and then gained popularity on TikTok. 

When asked to describe her music, PinkPantheress said she often masks dark lyrics with happy, pop instrumentals. “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” is no exception to this. This song contains the same lyrics as the original version, with an added third verse by Ice Spice. PinkPantheress’s soft vocals and upbeat backing track draw attention away from the melancholic lyrics. If you focus solely on the lyrical content, it becomes clear that she’s singing about her fears within a romantic relationship. She’s worried that the love she has for a certain boy is not being reciprocated and that he makes it clear that he is only interested in her when she is “looking good enough.” The boy in question is more focused on her physical appearance than her as a person and offers  conditional love in return for her unconditional love. She asks herself what’s the point in crying over him if he never truly loved or cared for her. The boy is a liar because his compliments do not coincide with the way he treats her. He can see her appearance, but he is not seeing her as a three-dimensional person, and her frustration toward this realization is clear. 

In Ice Spice’s verse, she echoes PinkPantheress’s message that the boy she’s rapping about is playing with her emotions. He’s very physical with her and makes it clear that he wants to be with her when they are together. When he is not with her, however, she is sure that he is seeing someone else. She hates the toxicity of the relationship and the way he treats her, but without him, she feels like she cannot function. 

The music video for the song was filmed entirely in New York, both on the fire escape of a building, in a subway station and within a subway car, showing that Ice Spice is going back to her (very close to Fordham) roots. 

I’m excited to see what other collaborations PinkPantheress will do in the future and if she’ll feature any more Bronx or New York City natives in her songs. Both she and Ice Spice appeared in the music industry and rose to prominence at an insane rate at early ages, and this is only the beginning for both of them. 

I think this song can sadly resonate with a lot of teenagers who settle for people who don’t truly care about them, value them as a person or reciprocate their emotions. It’s hard to accept that a relationship isn’t healthy and make the active decision to leave to find someone who will treat you properly. However, it’s ultimately worth it when you find someone who loves you for you. I may be biased as a Puerto Rican girl from Queens, but I think we’ll see a lot more viral songs from Ice Spice and PinkPantheress very soon.