Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 29, Jade Thirlwall, 28, Jesy Nelson, 29, and Perrie Edwards, 27, became the biggest girl group in the world as a four-piece. Now, as Little Mix win GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year award for being Gamechangers in Music – both on and off stage – and begin a new chapter as a trio, they open up to Josh Smith about how the past year has been their most gamechanging yet in a decade-long reign at the top of pop music…
Having interviewed Little Mix seven times, both collectively and individually for their first solo interviews, there has been laughter, tears, the tightest of hugs and a lot of camp humour. We’ve discussed everything from how Perrie’s crippling anxiety left her unable to leave the house, the vile online racism Leigh-Anne has faced, Jade’s gamechanging allyship with the LGBTQA+ community and how Jesy’s experiences with trolls left her attempting suicide. We have even discussed how Jade learned to clean the toilet for the first time in lockdown 1.0, showing that our conversations have had as much range as the girls’ vocals.
Throughout all our conversations, ‘sisterhood’ has been at the heart – so of all the possible predictions of what their future held, one of them leaving the group early is the last thing I would have anticipated. And yet on 14 December, following the announcement in November that she would be taking an extended break from the band, Jesy decided to leave the group permanently, stating that despite it being “the most incredible time of my life… recently, being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health.” In return, the remaining girls said in a statement, “This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy. We love her very much and agree that it is so important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being.” Their fans – affectionately called the ‘Mixers’ by the band – were in mourning.
Today, three months later, as I Zoom into their respective homes both in and just outside of London – all of them are dressed in their finest lockdown loungewear, ranging from Leigh-Anne’s tie-dye jumper to Jade’s Christopher Kane tee emblazoned with ‘Sex’ – the sisterhood is just as protective of their former bandmate, and her decision to leave, as they always have been. They keep our hour-long chat firmly on the future of the Little Mix and respectfully, and rightly, do not address Jesy’s personal decision to leave the group. “It was nice going into the new year, as a three, with the No.1 single,” Perrie says proudly, referencing Sweet Melody, which has also become their longest-charting single in the Top 10 to date. It’s a moment Perrie is calling a “good omen” for their new chapter, which they all nod in agreement with.
I wonder how taking a forced break last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak – after spending so long intensively together – and the resulting change in the line-up has made them reflect on their time, and position, in the group? “This time has given everyone perspective of what you truly love doing in life and figuring that out,” Jade answers in her Geordie twang, bursting with excitement because she is “so excited to talk to new humans” from outside her unit.
“I’m not saying that we’re codependent, but we do heavily rely on each other, so it’s been healthy to take a step back and think, ‘What do I want?’ As we come together and work together this year, we’ll have an even better and healthier relationship with that perspective. It’s beautiful that we’re still a group, but we want to help push each other to do our own thing, too. It’s like a new dawn of Little Mix.”
“It’s definitely important. It’s going to take time. It’s not something that happens overnight after being together 24/7,” Leigh-Anne replies before Jade continues. “I’m not saying that we’re codependent, but we do heavily rely on each other, so it’s been healthy to take a step back and think, ‘What do I want?’ As we come together and work together this year, we’ll have an even better and healthier relationship with that perspective. This time’s taught me that I am still figuring out who I am, too. I don’t really know who I am. I used to get scared at that thought, but now I’ve stopped punishing myself for not knowing. It’s beautiful that we’re still a group, but we want to help push each other to do our own thing, too. It’s like a new dawn of Little Mix,” she smiles.
Continue reading »Little Mix: LM5 – The Tour Film is out now all over the world!!
The Little Mix concert movie was originally released in select territories last November, but now it’s available on iTunes worldwide.
“Spit me out like hot wasabi 👅 LM5: The Tour Film is out now on iTunes. Link in stories,” the group wrote on Instagram.
The concert film was recorded at the final show of their LM5 Tour at London’s O2 Arena, and features songs such as “Wings,” “Shout Out To My Ex,” “Woman Like Me,” “Touch” and more!
Source: Just Jared Jr.
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