Pink

Pink (born September 8, 1979, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is an American singer and songwriter known for her rock-influenced pop songs, powerful voice, and gymnastics-filled concerts. Her career has also encompassed acting and activism for such causes as women’s rights and LGBTQ rights.

Early life and career

Alecia Moore’s parents divorced when she was a child. She wanted to be a singer from an early age, and, while a young teenager, she began performing in Philadelphia clubs. She eventually sang backup for a hip-hop band and started to write songs. An MCA Records executive recruited her to sing for the rhythm-and-blues (R&B) band Basic Instinct. After the group disbanded, Moore sang with the all-female R&B group Choice. About this time she chose P!nk (commonly spelled Pink) as her stage name. There were several reasons for her choice, one being that her friends connected her with the tough character of Mr. Pink from director Quentin Tarantino’s crime drama Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Solo career and success with M!ssundaztood and Try This

After Choice disbanded, Pink decided to pursue a solo career. Her first album, Can’t Take Me Home, was released in 2000. The album was geared toward teenagers and featured pop and dance songs. “Most Girls,” “You Make Me Sick,” and “There You Go” were especially popular. Pink’s next album, M!ssundaztood (2001), had an edgier rock vibe. It produced the hit single “Get the Party Started.” That same year Pink participated in a remake of the 1970s Patti LaBelle song “Lady Marmalade” with Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, and Mya. It was released on the soundtrack for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001), and the song won a Grammy Award for best pop collaboration with vocals. Pink also earned a Grammy for “Trouble” from her album Try This (2003); it won for best female rock vocal performance.

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Other albums and releases

Other Pink albums include I’m Not Dead (2006) and Funhouse (2008). The popular “Raise Your Glass” appeared as a previously unreleased song on Greatest Hits…So Far!!! (2010). Pink’s sixth studio album, The Truth About Love (2012), included the hit singles “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” and “Try.” Also on that album was the power ballad “Just Give Me a Reason,” which Pink recorded with Nate Ruess from the group Fun. Pink subsequently collaborated with singer and songwriter Dallas Green under the name You+Me. They released a folk album, Rose Ave., in 2014. Pink then returned to her solo career with Beautiful Trauma (2017), featuring the hit song “What About Us.” Her tour in support of that album was chronicled in the documentary P!nk: All I Know So Far (2021); an accompanying soundtrack was also released. Hurts 2B Human, her eighth studio album, appeared in 2019. It was the third album in her solo career to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2022 Pink released the single “Irrelevant” to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that year to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had previously established the constitutional right to abortion. The song addressed women’s rights as well as racism and LGBTQ rights. In 2023 she dropped the album Trustfall, which featured the hit song “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.”

Other awards and honors

Among the other awards Pink has received are a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for writing and performing “Today’s the Day,” the theme song for The Ellen Degeneres Show, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Pink’s songs have been featured in Broadway musicals; her 2010 single “F**kin’ Perfect” is used in & Juliet, and a snippet of “Raise Your Glass” is heard in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. In 2026 Pink hosted the Tony Awards.

Acting roles, activism, and personal life

In addition to singing, Pink appeared in several films, including Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Catacombs (2007), and Thanks for Sharing (2012). She voiced a character in the animated film Happy Feet Two (2011).

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Pink also supported various causes, including human rights and animal rights charities. She was an advocate for the LGBTQ community. In 2015 she served as an ambassador for UNICEF. Pink married motocross racer Carey Hart in 2006.