The Pink Panther

05/18/2000 2:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Billy Johnson Jr

Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera literally own the teen female vocalist niche, but newcomer Pink isn't worried about the competition.

"They're great for what they do," says the 20-year-old whose vocals could be mistaken for Monica's on her out-of-the-box single, "There You Go." "I do something completely different."

Ouch!

Pink's sly, cynical attitude indeed separates her from the cutesy pop queens. Britney's no great singer, but Christina, on the other hand, could take Pink in a talent show. But that's not to say that Pink is bad, because she can clearly hold her own (hear her ballad "Let Me Let You Know").

Growing up singing in an "all-black church" heavily contributed to Pink's own husky, gut-felt rifts. In fact, co-workers of one of her friends are taking polls on her ethnicity. "They think my mom lied to me about who my dad is," the admitted single white female says with a grin, signaling that she likes to keep people guessing.

She's used to the inquiries, but the former punk singer, skateboarder, and ravegoer is more concerned about recording a duet with her musical soulmate, Eminem.

"I love Eminem," Pink says, blushing with a sparkle in her blue eyes. "Eminem is so real. He says whatever he wants. I be cracking up listening to his songs."

Pink's sure that the folks at La Face, her label home that she shares with TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton, don't want her to get as wild as Dr. Dre's blonde sidekick who's latest song disses Christina, Tom Green, and Will Smith.

But the singer, who got her nickname for being the only girl in her crew (her hair wasn't pink then), is by no means tame. As she scoffs at a grieving ex-boyfriend on "There You Go," she continues the agony, so to speak, on "Hell Wit Ya," "Let Me Let You Know," and "Can't Take Me Home," her album's title track.

On the blunt "Can't Take Me Home," which she co-wrote, she sings, "Can't take me home to Momma/ 'Cause she wouldn't think I'm proppa/ Shoulda thought about that before you f--ked with me/ Don't say you're falling for me/ Don't tell me you adore me/ 'Cause all you're thinking 'bout/ Is f--king me."

The girl raised on Mariah Carey, 4 Non Blondes, Billy Joel, and Bob Dylan has a couple love songs on her debut, but avoids sappy fairytales like the plague. "I can't get up there and be like, 'Don't leave me. I'll be nothing,'" she says, mimicking some helpless girl in despair. "Because if you leave me, I'll be fine...I believe girls need to realize that they don't need to depend on people."

That advice conveyed in the video and over the airwaves on "There You Go" has caused some commotion. Girls have written Pink, explaining how their new spunky role model encouraged them to leave their men. Pink's flattered by her influence, but she's waiting to receive a knock on her door from vengeful "Men's Coalition" members. She admits, however, that she's not always as tough in real life as she is on record.

"I still take crap sometimes from guys," she says, "if I care about them. Girls are like, 'I don't take crap, just like you'...I mean, all I know is, you have to respect yourself and love yourself, 'cause nobody's going to love you like you are."

Things changed for Pink overnight in 1996. After enjoying a nice Thanksgiving, she landed a spot in a singing group, and her deal with La Face Records followed a month later. After taking a meeting with the label's co-founder, L.A. Reid (Clive Davis's new replacement at Arista Records), Pink's audition surprisingly included "about 50" Arista employees.

"I went from staying up all night and sleeping all day to getting up early, running, getting in shape, getting my lungs right, getting my wind right, singing, practicing eight hours a day," she says, still amazed at how she pulled it off.

Things have fallen into place quite nicely. Her brash and soulful approach to music is keeping her in the limelight. "I don't try to be candy-coated," she explains matter-of-factly. "I don't try to walk on eggshells. I am what I am. Love me or hate me."

Well, alrighty then.