Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson – better known as Little Mix – is currently one of the largest and most beloved girl band in the world. Until recently, the popular British girl band consisted of four members, but due to health problems, one of the members of the music group – Jesy Nelson – had to leave the team.
The story begins
In 2011 Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall as individual soloists participated in the music show The X Factor, but they failed to beat the first stage. The judges decided to give the talented girls another chance and united the singers into a mutual group that fell into the group category.
Their first band name was Rhythmix and their first cover song was Big Girls Don’t Cry. Soon, the rising group of girls announced a new (current) name for the band – Little Mix.
In 2011 December 11th the finals of The X Factor took place, the girls performed Damien Rice’s single Cannonball and they were announced the winners of the project. The girl band became the first group to win this musical project.
International rising
Being one of the most successful bands from The X Factor, the girls have since released countless tracks, with four singles reaching the top five in the UK: Wings (2012), Black Magic (2015), Shout Out to My Ex (2016), Sweet Melody (2021). Each of their albums: DNA (2012), Salute (2013), We Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) and Confetti (2020) also reached most listened and top album lists. The band’s fourth album, Glory Days, became the longest-running album of the girl bands since Spice Girls’ debut album 20 years ago. During their career, the band has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl band of all time.
They won the Brit Award for Song of the Year with Shout Out to My Ex in 2017 and the British Video of the Year Award for Woman Like Me in 2019, the girl band also received six MTV European Music Awards, two Choice Awards, five Global Awards and nine Brit Award nominations. Their tours, Glory Days and Get Weird Tour, are the fifth and eighth highest-earning girl band tours of all time. By 2020 March statistics, the band Little Mix has five platinum albums and 24 certified singles in the UK.
In the media, Little Mix was included in Debrett’s 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. The successful group for four years in a row, starting from 2017 until 2020 was included in Forbes 30 under 30 class: a list of 600 outstanding young entrepreneurs, leaders and stars.
Jesy Nelson quitting and other projects
Last year was very active for the girl band – Festival GIRLS! In Brazil, the reality show Little Mix The Search, new singles Break Up Song, Holiday, Not a Pop Song, Happiness. Along with all the new projects, the band’s sixth album Confetti was released, which is described as “the band’s biggest album”. Little Mix: Tour Film has been shown in cinemas around the world.
It was hard for all members to adapt to the busy band life and schedule, but Jesy Nelson faced the most serious difficulties. The artist said she feels constant pressure to live up to the expectations. In 2020 December 14th, the group member Jesy Nelson announced her resignation from the band due to the difficult mental health condition. In her statement, Nelson said that she made her decision after careful consideration and with a calm heart, „I have to spend some time with my loved ones, do things that make me happy and not harm to my mental health,” the singer stated. The rest of the group added, “We know that Jesy leaving the group will be really unpleasant news for our fans. We love her very much and agree that it is very important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being.” After Nelson’s departure, the singers announced that the three of them will carry out the band’s activities.
