Little Mix talk to us about heartbreak, friendship, and overcoming negativity
Since their formation five years ago on the UK version of The X Factor, Little Mix have become become somewhat of a pop music anomaly. Not only were they the first band to EVER win the TV talent show, but while other bands are constantly subjected to rumors about rifts and infighting, Little Mix are known for the bond that all four members share.
Put together by chance in 2011, the four members of Little Mix, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson, have since gone on to become on of the world’s most successful girlbands. Their 2012 debut album, DNA, marked the first time since the Pussycat Dolls that girlband had debuted in top 5 on the Billboard 200 with their debut album. Not only that, but it was also the highest charting entry for a British girlband EVER (yep, they beat out the Spice Girls).
Much has been said about Little Mix and one particular bandmate’s ex-boyfriend. However, the band are taking it all in their stride, and even poking fun at it all with their brand new single “Shout Out to My Ex,” the most upbeat breakup song we’ve ever heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFDzhKdrN9M?feature=oembed
What’s more, Little Mix are prepping for the release of their fourth album, appropriately titled Glory Days, this Friday (November 18th), and from what we’ve heard so far it looks set to be their best yet.
Not wanting to miss out on anything, we caught up with band members Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock to chat about breakups, friendship, and overcoming negativity.
HelloGiggles: Hello Jesy and Leigh-Anne! Let’s talk about your new single “Shout Out to My Ex.” How have you found the response to it?
Leigh-Anne: It’s been amazing. I don’t think we were really prepared for it, to be fair. Obviously, after releasing it and it going straight to Number One in the UK was incredible. It’s been better than we could’ve thought, really.
HG: We love that it’s an upbeat breakup song and so positive.
L-A: Yeah, definitely. It’s a happy heartbreak song, and it’s there to make anybody feel better about their break up or whatever they’re going through. It is positive and it’s so feel good. I literally had it on repeat when I was going through my breakup, and it helped me. It’s just one of those songs that picks you up and makes you feel really good.
HG: Why do you think it is that you don’t get too many upbeat breakup songs?
L-A: Well, I think everyone’s different. I tend to like listening to really sad songs when I’m going through a breakup as well [laughs]. I kind of need to dwell on it, I need to cry, I need to feel like shit. And then I can move on to “Shout Out to My Ex” and feel better about it all. But I think everyone handles it in different ways.
HG: When you performed it on the X Factor UK, your dancers had on TV shirts with male and female names on them. Why is it important to you as a band to promote inclusivity?
L-A: We’re huge supporters of the gay community, so that was really important for us to do. We have so many gay fans, and we obviously want it to relate to everybody. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dTxIlNevcM
HG: Ridiculously, some people felt that your outfits were too raunchy for TV. Why do you think people have such issues and opinions about what other people wear?
Jesy: People love to have an opinion, whether it’s negative and positive, and…I mean…I think it’s great that we are four young girls who are confident enough to wanna show off our figures. We’re all different shapes and sizes, and I think we’re good role models to girls who are all shapes and sizes across the world. We want to show that you can rock anything as long as your confident. I don’t think anyone should be brought down for that. They’re only bloody leotards. No one has a go at gymnasts when they’re swinging around the pole [laughs].
HG: We couldn’t agree more. Jesy, we also saw your Instagram shade at the comments with your “Too Provacative?” top you wore. Amazing.
J: [Cackles] Oh, I just felt like having a little bit of fun…why not?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL6Kzt8AXAL
HG: One thing we absolutely love about Little Mix is that you’re obviously all really good friends, which is rare to see in a band. However, do you find that you end up bickering with each other, especially when you’re touring and spending LOADS of time together?
J: Do you know what? It’s so strange, because you’d think that would be the case but it’s just not. I just don’t know why. We’re just a bunch of four weirdos who have the best connection ever. To be honest, we’re just so bloody lucky that we got thrown together and that we genuinely all get one. Like you say, it just doesn’t happen. I think I have more arguments with my sister than I do the girls. And I’m with the girls way more than I am with my sister. I think we just trust each other a lot, and the fact that we look after each other. We know that whenever something bad happens we can always go to one another to talk about it. We’ve all got each other’s backs. I think that’s the key in a friendship; loyalty and trust. We have that massively. If you don’t have that, it’ll just fall apart. We look after each other.
HG: You can definitely see that when you’re performing. The music industry can be so fickle and difficult. It’s nice to see something genuine.
J: We think so too. I think we feel lucky for the fact that we can have all these experiences together and can understand each other when we’re feeling shit or amazing or when something incredible has happened. We can all speak to each other and know what the other one is feeling because we’ve all gone through it together. I think that’s what’s special.
HG: You’re heading out on tour with Ariana Grande next year. That must be SO exciting? Dangerous Woman is one of our favourite albums of the year.
L-A: We love it!
HG: So what makes both of you a dangerous woman?
L-A: Hmm…what makes me a dangerous woman is that I’ve learned to have confidence in myself and I don’t take no shit from anyone. I can be a little bit of a push over sometimes, but I’ve learned that I need to stand up for myself and tell it how it is when needs be.
J: I’d pretty much say the same. I’ve learned to not really give a shit about what people thing, and the only people whose opinions I really care about are the ones who are my friends and family. Also, to just be confident and know who you are, and love who you are. I’m not afraid to say how I feel and I’m not afraid to stand up for what I believe in.
HG: As a band, you’re all very strong and independent people. However, with songs like “Secret Love Song” and new track “F.U.” there’s an element of vulnerability there. How important is it to also show that side of who you are?
J: Oh my god, massively! At the end of the day, we’re not robots; we’re still human beings who have feelings like everybody else. I think we’re just four normal girls who also go through times that, as much as we are confident and we’ve learned to not give a crap, we do have days where we do feel really shit about ourselves. That’s just part of being a human being and part of being a woman. It’s nice to show people that you’re still vulnerable because then people can relate to you. That’s something that I think people like about Little Mix because we are very relatable and everyone can see themselves in one of us, which I like.
HG: The songs we’ve heard so far from Glory Days are all about relationships that are either over or on the way out. Would you say that this is your “break up album”?
L-A: I actually think it might be. We’ve said that it’s a love and heartbreak album. Whether it be happy in love or sad in love, it’s all based on that. We’ve never done an album like that before, and we’ve all been through things in the last year that we really wanted write about it and tell everybody and share what we went through. Hopefully we can help and relate to other people.
HG: What else can we expect from the album? Are there any proper club bangers?
J: We’ve got one that we cannot wait to be played in a club because it is just frickin’ great. It makes you want to dance as soon as you hear it. It’s on thing that we love about this album as well because there are a lot of songs on there that can be played in clubs, which we may not have had before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkElfR_NPBI?feature=oembed
HG:
2016 has been a pretty difficult year. How do you stay positive when there’s so much fuckery around?
J: I think just knowing that we’ve got each other. Genuinely, we make each other laugh so much and it sounds silly but we’re kind of in a little bubble when we’re together. We don’t take in much negativity when we’re together because we just have so much fun; we’re just a bunch of weirdos.
HG: Fun and laughing sounds about right. Thanks so much Little Mix. Bye!
L-A & Jesy: Bye!
