How Jade Thirlwall became Little Mix’s big breakout star with Brit win and Glasto spot amid bandmates’ solo struggles
JADE Thirlwall released her debut solo single just eight months ago and she’s already won a Brit Award and landed a coveted spot performing at Glastonbury this year.
She was the last of her Little Mix bandmates to put out material following their hiatus in May 2022 – but it appears it was worth the wait.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock went first, dropping the garage-tinged Don’t Say Love – which landed at 11 on the UK Singles Chart.
Perrie Edwards fared slightly better and cracked the top 10 with her debut Forget About Us, which wouldn’t hear out of place on a Kelly Clarkson album.
But Jade’s debut has been the most successful of the three by far, with Angel Of My Dreams. It’s undoubtedly the most experimental of the three efforts and peaked at number seven upon release.
As Little Mix, they were used to releasing back-to-back hits. They scored five UK number one singles during their time together and have sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
But both Leigh-Anne and Perrie have struggled with their follow up releases. Leigh-Anne’s most recent three singles failed to chart while Perrie’s You Go Your Way limped in at number 52.
Away from sales, Jade has been critically acclaimed for her sound by music experts who have praised her for taking risks.
It took Little Mix six years to win their first Brit, but Jade beat off competition from Charli XCX and Dua Lipa at this year’s ceremony when she scooped the Best Pop Act gong.
There’s no denying both Leigh-Anne and Perrie are hugely talented artists, but so far they’ve played it safe.
Meanwhile Jade has spoken extensively about her intention to shock people with her own music.
Discussing her debut with People previously, she said: “I just knew I wanted to surprise people. I do think I’ve got quite a chaotic, creative brain, and I only get one shot of doing the debut single.
“So why not push the boundaries and do something a bit more out there? I feel like Angel of My Dreams is a perfect introduction into the Jade world.
“I wanted the song to almost sound like a musical masterpiece, and I wanted it to feel relentless. I feel like we nailed the brief, and people are enjoying it.
“I think it’s refreshing to have a song out there that doesn’t follow the status quo of pop.”
It’s almost surprising that Jade has become the biggest success story from Little Mix so far, as it’s well known among their loyal fans that she was the member who least wanted to take a break.
In December 2021 the girls made their final television appearance together with a performance of Between Us on the Graham Norton Show.
It was reported the girls broke down in tears as soon as it was over, and one fan later commented: “Jade’s face breaks me everytime because I know she’s the one who’s gonna suffer the most. She loves Little Mix.”
Maybe her love for Little Mix is the reason Jade has ventured the furthest from the group’s foolproof sound.
Jade’s creative director Claire Arnold previously told British Vogue: “She’s a dark horse.
“It’s just been strange, amazing to see Jade peel back the layers of herself over the past couple of months and reveal who’s behind the girl in Little Mix.
“The album, and her vision for it, is… I don’t even know how I would phrase it. An unexpected… chaos?”
British singers from huge girl groups have notoriously failed to live up to the success of their bands.
None of the Spice Girls’ solo careers really took off, Mutya Buena is the only Sugababe to put out material and still hasn’t followed-up on her 2007 debut album, and the less said about the individual music ventures of The Saturdays‘ girls the better.
For a while Girls Aloud star Cheryl dominated the charts and in 2014 she became the first British female solo act to achieve five number one singles. She held onto this record for a year until Jess Glynne overtook her.
But last week Jade cemented her position as one of the UK’s most exciting pop acts when she announced she’d been added to the Glastonbury 2025 line-up.
And, with the release of her feisty third single FUFN (F*** You For Now), it’s clear she’s ripping up the rule book.