Music icon confesses she didn’t feel ‘conventional’ enough for chart-topping girl group-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall didn’t feel she would fit in a girl group (Picture: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)

She might be the angel of our dreams now but Jade Thirlwall has revealed she once felt she was not ‘conventional’ enough to join Little Mix.

The Black Magic hitmakers formed in 2011 on The X Factor, smashing expectations and becoming the first group to win the popular ITV show.

Jade, 31, was thrown together with bandmates Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson after auditioning three times as a solo artist.

Despite the excitement of finally getting through, the then 18-year-old star was hesitant as she did not believe she fitted that stereotypical girl group image.

‘I didn’t see myself as a conventional girl’s girl,’ Jade told Rolling Stone UK. ‘I was nerdy and quiet. When they told me I was gonna be put in a girl group, I automatically thought of Pussycat Dolls.

Little Mix is on hiatus — after Jesy, 33, left in 2020 — with the bandmates all pursuing solo careers.

Jade thought she was too ‘nerdy and quiet’ (Picture: Neil Mockford/WireImage)

Leigh-Anne, 33, Perrie, 31, and Jade still have an incredibly close bond but the Touch hitmaker added that she had expected the worst when signing up.

She shared: ‘I thought, “Oh no, I’m not sexy — and if they’re b***hy, I’ll struggle because I’m not confrontational at all. I shrink at any drama.” But it turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me for my confidence and understanding of sisterhood.’

Despite her initial hesitations, Little Mix went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, with 19 top 10 singles to their name — including five number ones.

The girl group formed the first decade of Jade’s career, and her adult life, so she felt lost when the trio went on hiatus as she didn’t know how to exist without her bandmates.

‘I didn’t know how to be a woman in my own right,’ she explained. ‘It took me a minute to get my independence back.’

Little Mix have been on hiatus since 2022 (Picture: JMEnternational/JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/Getty Images)

Jade’s debut solo single scored her a top 10 chart slot, matching the precedent set by Leigh-Anne and Perrie.

The trio are no longer close to former bandmate Jesy, with Perrie previously telling Cosmopolitan that they haven’t spoken in a long time.

 ‘We don’t talk, and haven’t done for a long time, it’s really sad, it’s heart-breaking,’ she revealed.

‘But sometimes these things happen and people decide they want to part ways, and that’s absolutely fine. I would rather it went differently, but you can’t control how things go.’

Speaking to Metro recently, she confessed she had anticipated ‘starting from scratch’ when she broke out as a soloist after Little Mix announced their hiatus.

Perrie said: ‘Your fans aren’t necessarily going to follow you as solo artists. I kind of prepared myself to maybe get different fans or not keep the same fans.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More