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Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall has opened up about how she "struggled the most" whilst addressing a concern she harboured for the band. The group was formed on the X Factor back in 2011 and subsequently became one of the highest-selling bands in history. However, in 2022 they revealed they would be going their separate ways in order to "recharge" and focus on their individual solo careers. Jade has confessed that being part of the music industry is "cut-throat" and she would frequently worry about being dropped by their record label. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, she revealed: "I look back at the times when we were huge, before Get Weird came out, and we had a big sleepover, all crying, 'If this isn't a Top 10 song, we'll get dropped'. It's wild to think about now because we were so big at the time." The album achieved number two in the Official UK Charts, whilst its lead single, Black Magic, secured the coveted number one position. The band experienced nine years of chart success before Jesy Nelson announced her departure in 2020. Jesy cited her mental health as part of the reason for leaving the band, something she candidly discussed in her documentary Odd One Out. Jade, alongside bandmates Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, continued to perform for two years following Jesy's exit, reports the Mirror . Jade, 32, admits she initially found it challenging to adapt to life after Little Mix . It took her two years, therapy, and the support of her boyfriend, Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens, to release new music. She was the final member of the girl band to embark on her solo journey. "I struggled the most to adapt to life after the group," she shares. "The other girls had better distractions: families, kids. They transitioned into a new chapter willingly." Jade admits she "didn't know what to do with myself" and confesses that Little Mix had been all she'd known since she was 18. She launched her first solo single, Angel of My Dreams in 2024, which reached number seven in the charts. Her self-penned debut album, That's Showbiz Baby, became the fastest-selling debut album of the year. It has garnered critical praise and climbed to number three in the charts in its first week. This follows Jade's win for Best Pop Act at the Brit Awards after the release of Angel of My Dreams. Jade says her solo career allowed her to take creative reins over her music. She wants to prove to people she's "not just a pop princess" but "an artist with a vision". And while it may have taken her three years post-split to release her first album, Jade admits she doesn't "want to wait as long" for the next one. This means she is already crafting new material ahead of touring the album across the US and Europe next year. Meanwhile, her former bandmate Perrie is currently appearing on BBC Two's Girlbands Forever. The series features in-depth interviews with members of All Saints, Atomic Kitten , Eternal, Little Mix, Mis-Teeq and Sugababes .
