Kelela and PinkPantheress have released "the bridge", their second collaboration, ahead of Kelela's new album new avatar. The pairing is notable because both artists work in overlapping territory: PinkPantheress has become one of pop's most influential figures with her intimate, retro-futuristic dance sound, while Kelela has long specialised in delicate vocals over precise, architectural club production, and is cited as an influence on the younger artist.

The two first worked together on "Bury Me" from PinkPantheress' 2023 debut Heaven Knows, and performed it live in Brooklyn in 2024. "the bridge" was written by Kelela, PinkPantheress and Oscar Scheller, with Kelela co-producing alongside Scheller; over a muted but propulsive beat, the pair softly trade interwoven vocals about an all-consuming crush. It follows earlier previews such as "idea 1", "linknb", "point blank" and the A. K. Paul collaboration "outta time". new avatar is out on 10 July via Warp.