Jade on Life After Little Mix, Her Mercury Prize Nomination and What’s Next

In late 2021, Little Mix—the British pop trio made up of Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock—revealed plans for an extended break from the limelight, a pause that was set to begin in earnest after the conclusion of their "Confetti" tour in mid-2022. Through a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), the group took pains to characterize the move as a momentary pause rather than a permanent split, assuring fans that "more music, tours and performances" lay ahead. Still, the women were open about the strain of a decade spent in constant motion, describing their journey as a "non-stop adventure" that had left them craving time to "recharge." Given the magnitude of what they accomplished, that weariness came as little surprise to anyone following their trajectory.

Little Mix's origin story traces back to 2011, when they won the U.K. edition of "The X Factor" with a cover of Damien Rice's "Cannonball," a performance that shot them straight to the top of the British singles chart. Over the years that followed, they amassed a formidable track record: five U.K. No. 1 singles, 19 top-10 hits, and a chart-topping album in "Glory Days." Their influence also crossed the Atlantic, where they made history as the first British girl group to land a debut album inside the U.S. Top 5 within its opening week. The Official Charts Company has likened their cultural footprint to that of earlier all-female acts such as the Spice Girls, though Little Mix set themselves apart with a more modern sound and a sharp grip on digital platforms. For comparison, the Spice Girls—who first formed in 1994—moved over 100 million records worldwide and reshaped the girl group blueprint in the 1990s, yet Little Mix managed to forge an equally consequential path in a far more fragmented, streaming-driven landscape. Notably, the group also became the first girl group in history to hold the top three spots on the U.K. singles chart simultaneously in 2021, a feat that underscored their enduring relevance.

For Thirlwall, who was 29 when the hiatus kicked off, the future was anything but clear-cut. Music seemed the obvious route, yet envisioning a solo career detached from her two longtime bandmates felt intimidating. In a conversation with Variety following her Lollapalooza performance, she confessed that her first impulse had been to dive headfirst into a solo project. "I had pretty much written a whole record by the summer after the hiatus," she said. "I'd got in my head that I've got to strike while the iron's hot, got to stay relevant. Thankfully, some of my people around me were like, 'Just wait and keep writing.' In hindsight, I listen to some of that music, and it does just kind of sound like Little Mix." As the final member of the trio to branch out on her own, she now regards that waiting period as an unexpected advantage. "I really had to exist on my own for a bit, and be like, okay, who am I now, you know? It's like when you break up with someone, and you all of a sudden have to find your identity again."

Her creative reboot drew heavily on lessons from artists who had navigated the transition from group to solo stardom by embracing risk. "You get one chance to cement yourself as a solo artist coming out of a group; it's a lot of pressure. My logic was, I'd rather come out fucking swinging with something brave and bold and might miss, but at least you can't say I've not tried to do something big." She cited Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" as a key reference, applauding the song for tackling the singer's own creative block—a move Thirlwall labeled "genius." She also mentioned Beyoncé's audacious launch of "Crazy In Love," which came armed with a full brass section and an unforgettable video. Those inspirations helped shape her debut solo single, "Angel of My Dreams," released on July 14, 2024. The track blended high-energy electropop with visuals that dissected her "toxic, love-hate relationship" with the music business—a motif that carried into her first album, "That's Showbiz Baby!," which arrived just over a year later. The record was co-produced with longtime collaborators and featured a guest appearance from British rapper Mnek, adding further texture to its critique of fame.

Central to her solo output is a pointed examination of celebrity culture itself. "I think [it's] a drug. It's addictive. And I think even the strongest artists that think they're above it, or that they're not bothered by being famous, have that human part of [them] that craves validation or attention, especially in this pop industry. It's literally part of the job to remain relevant and have people talk about you. It's really hard to not sort of base your life around that." That perspective came straight from experience—the promotional grind for her album, undertaken without her bandmates' backing, brought back familiar pressures like "worrying about numbers, trying to feel relevant" and compulsively "checking all the comments." The stress grew so heavy that she returned to therapy, a resource she'd first used during her Little Mix years but had since abandoned. She admitted that many problems she thought were resolved had crept back, exposing how powerfully fame's grip still held her. Even so, she smiled while reflecting on the struggle, framing it as a vital lesson. "I really do have a much healthier relationship out of the back of 'That's Showbiz Baby!' I know going into this next record, some might argue that it's even more pressure, but this is the bonus round again. And I think every time something does well, I'm like, 'Oh, great! Alright, let's do the next thing.'"

That resilience has paid off in concrete ways, most notably a Mercury Prize nomination—one of the U.K.'s most prestigious music honors, known for spotlighting adventurous albums from British and Irish artists. Thirlwall laughed at the irony that some producers and writers who had earlier turned her down have since reached out, saying she'll "always remember" their initial hesitation. "There are people that have gotten in touch since, being like, 'Do you want to do a writing session?' and I'm like, 'Hell no!'" She then turned serious, voicing genuine gratitude: "I couldn't have predicted this amount of critical acclaim. I really don't take it for granted at all. I feel overwhelmed that I managed to create something that was so authentically me, and people have been like, 'Yeah, we like that.' In the U.K., [the Mercury Prize] is one of the big 'uns, and it's just a beautiful ending to that era and campaign." For Thirlwall, the nod feels like validation of her instincts. "It's kind of like the universe saying, 'Stay true to yourself'—especially going into the next record."