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We're in a Rhythm Heaven Renaissance and you don't need to look much further than alt-pop princess Pinkpantheress sampling the series' Wii game on live TV for proof.
That's not a sentence I ever thought I'd write on GamesRadar+, and Pinkpantheress might not be a name gamers are too familiar with, but the only context you need is that she's a frequently viral, grammy-nominated songwriter that went from making bedroom pop to headlining festivals and she's also a fan of cult Nintendo series Rhythm Heaven.
This past week, she performed a medley of hits on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that made some eagle-eared gamers lean into their seats extra hard. You see, buried under heavy synths and garage-inspired drums are none other than sound effects unmistakably from Rhythm Heaven Fever, the series' Wii entry. See if you can spot them for yourself down below.
Rhythm Heaven's surprising late night cameo was no accident either. The pop star jumped on social media to tell folks the only reason she decided to get involved in the performance's creative direction was to sample the wacky Nintendo hits.
"Thinking about how I chose to musically direct my Fallon performance just so I could discreetly slip in Rhythm Heaven sound bites to match our dance moves," she tweeted. "It's the game that got me through my teens." The clip below isolates the exact moment that Rhythm Heaven's singing shrimp pop up in the mix.
DID SHE SAMPLE RHYTHM HEAVEN AND THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE?? https://t.co/o4kzq2EX2b pic.twitter.com/sdD0EesyZFJuly 31, 2025
Thankfully, series stans don't need to simply survive off these meagre breadcrumbs - Nintendo recently announced a whole new game in Rhythm Heaven Groove, coming next year to the Switch (and probably the Switch 2 by that point), ending a draught that lasted over 10 years.
Since I'm so chronically online, here are some of the other ways Rhythm Heaven and gaming overlap with Pinkpantheress and pop music that only about seven readers will inevitably find interesting. Pinkpantheress collaborated with K-pop group Le Sserafim, who are the only real-life people to have been featured in Overwatch 2 twice. 14 years ago, Beyonce said she loves Rhythm Heaven too, so much so that she agreed star in a DS ad for her fave game. Pinkpantheress has openly said that old-school Beyonce's Y2K jeans and simple makeup have inspired her looks throughout the years. There you have it. A full circle moment. You're welcome.
