MJ Cole Taps PinkPantheress for Dreamy Update of "Sincere"

MJ Cole’s 1998 debut single, “Sincere,” is permanently etched in the canon of tracks that stand the test of time. An enduring classic of 2-step’s peak, the cut remains the UK garage phenom’s top-selling track on the Beatport store – a measure not only of its seminal status, but of the appetite for a follow-up more than two decades later.

That return, initiated in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Cole’s Sincere album, crosses generations. Cue “Still Sincere,” a collaboration with contemporary UKG songstress PinkPantheress, whose pink bubblegum cool and gossamer vocals glide over the update with a seamlessness that can only come from true synergy. 

“To have PinkPantheress conjure up her magical take on ‘Sincere’ is beyond a dream. I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect,” Cole attests. Listen below.

For PinkPantheress, it’s a full-circle moment that feels as sweet as it sounds. “I’m so thrilled I got to work with MJ Cole on this remix,” she says. “He’s honestly a garage legend and it is kinda surreal collaborating with  someone whose legacy inspired bits of my early work.”

It’s only fitting that “Still Sincere” positions Cole – whose softer sensibilities offered a new perspective on UKG – alongside the British multihyphenate who’s steadily recontextualized it in her own language. Consider this one solid example of history repeating itself.

"Still Sincere" is out now via 892 Recordings. Buy it on Beatport.