Jesy Nelson

On December 14, 2020 Jesy announced her departure from the band through social media.  Following her departure, she signed a record deal with Polydor Records in May 2021 and announced her solo career on May 25, 2021.

## Background Information

### Active

2011-2020 (Little Mix)
2021-present (Solo)

### Genres

R&B · Pop · Dance-Pop · HipHop · Tropical House

### Labels

Polydor Records
Syco Entertainment (2011-2018)
Columbia Records (2013-2020)
RCA Records (2018-2020)

## Early Life

Nelson attended secondary school at Jo Richardson Community School and Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College (in Hornchurch, Essex), was noted for being a dedicated drama and music student by her teachers. She also attended Sylvia Young and Yvonne Rhodes Theatre Schools.

## Artistry and Influences

Jesy Nelson lists the Spice Girls, TLC and Missy Elliott as her major musical influences.

## Personal Life

### **Family**

Janice White and John Nelson are Jesy's parents. She has an older sister named Jade and two brothers named Joseph and Jonathan. Her parents separated when she was very young.

### **Love Life**

* She dated former 2017 *Love Island* contestant Chris Hughes from mid-January 2019 to early April 2020. They broke up due to the problems of social distancing which was taking place during the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak.

* She dated singer-songwriter and former rapper, Harry James from late September/early October 2017 to early November 2018.
* In March 2017, she had a briefly romantic encounter with the *Only Way is Essex* star Chris Clark, but they split up after a month of dating because Clark believed that his and Jesy's lives were too different.
* She's the ex-fiancée of Jake Roche, singer of the band Rixton. She flew to LA to see a concert of theirs in August 2014 and posted a picture and a video with him on her Instagram account. The relationship became official when Jesy posted a picture of them kissing. They got engaged in July 2015. On November 21, 2016, it was confirmed that the couple split up.
* She dated dancer Jordan Banjo from 2012 till 2014. Jordan is a member of Diversity, a dance group, that won Britain's Got Talent in 2009. He was Jesy's boyfriend until their split sometime in 2013. Eventually they got back together. They broke up again in the end of June 2014 because of their busy schedules. Jesy's bandmate Jade Thirlwall broke up with her boyfriend Sam Craske, a bandmate of Jordan, around the same time.
* She briefly had an romantic encounter with former Union J member, George Shelley. They have denied the rumours of them dating, and he confirmed that they are only friends.

### **Tattoos**

#### *Quote of Thigh*

Jesy has the quote *"A tiger never loses sleep over the opinions of sheep"* on her right thigh. She got the tattoo done in July 2013 which was her first tattoo

#### *Writing on Right Bicep*

Jesy has the quote *"Music is the strongest form of Magic"* on her upper right arm. This quote is by Marilyn Manson. She got it done at the same time as her first tattoo in July 2013.

#### *Writing on Her Side*

Jesy has the quote *"You were born an original so don't die a copy"* going down her left side. This quote is inspired by a book by John Mason. She got this tattoo to continuously remind herself to remain real in life and not copy others.

#### *Roman Numerals*

Jesy has the roman numerals *"XIX-VIII-XI"* on her right wrist. This stands for 19-8-11*(August 19, 2011)* which was the day Little Mix were formed during boot-camp on The X Factor.

#### *Writing on Left Bicep*

Jesy has the quote *"Once upon a time"* in a gothic style font on the inside of her left bicep. This tattoo is dedicated to her ex-fiance, Jake Roche. In an interview with Fabulous Magazine Jesy states *"It's really cringe, but I recently had this done, when me an Jake first got together...before I'd fall asleep he'd tell me a little fairytale story about how we got together. So it's really cringe, but it's cute."*

#### *Rose(Arm)*

Jesy has a tattoo of a rose on the inside of her left forearm. The tattoo was done by artist Oliver Macintosh at Fifth Street Tattoo in London in December 2013.

#### *Skull and Rose*

Jesy has a tattoo of a large skull and a rose on the outside of her left forearm. She got the tattoo done by tattoo artist Oliver Macintosh in January 2014.

#### *Feather and Eye*

Jesy has a tattoo of a feather and eye on the inside of her left forearm. She got the tattoo down in August 2015. On social media she stated *"Always wanted to be tattooed by the amazing bangbangnyc and I finally did yesterday,"* when she visited the studio of famed tattoo artist Bang Bang in New York City.

#### *Symbols on Her Left Hand Knuckles*

Jesy has six symbols on her left hand. She got the tattoo done in Feburary 2017, they are the four suits from a deck of playing cards. A spade on her index finger, a diamond on her middle finger, a club on her ring finger, and a heart on her pinkie finger. She also has a Christian cross on her thumb along with a lighting bolt on her middle finger.

#### *Keepers*

Jesy has the word *"Keepers"* tattooed on her rib cage on the left side of her body. She revealed the tattoo at the Global Awards on March 1, 2018. The tattoo was done by artist Gabby Colledge. The tattoo is a matching set with her boyfriend Harry James who has the word "Finders."

#### *Amor and Initials*

Jesy has three tattoos on her right hand which she got done in January 2018. She got initials E and J on her index and ring finger and the word Amor on her middle finger. The tattoo was done by artist Gabby Colledge which is one of her favorite tattoo artists. Amor stands for *"love"* in Latin, Spanish, and Portuguese.

#### *Girl Power*

Jesy has the words *"Girl Power"* tattooed on her left shoulder. She got the tattoo done by Gabbu Colledge in January 2018. The meaning behind this tattoo comes from the meaning of Little Mix whose music is all about women taking charge and standing up for themselves and making them confident. Jesy stated *"If a girl is being bullied, or heartbroken, or just feeling like utter shite, if our music can make them feel better... then we're doing our jobs right,"*

#### *Rose*

Jesy has a rose tattooed on the wrist of her right hand. She got the tattoo done in September 2017.

#### *Gun*

Jesy has a tattOo of a gun on the upper part of her left ribcage. She got the tattoo done by artist Zaya Hastra On December 4, 2018. This tatOoo represents strength for Jesy.

#### *Queen of Hearts*

Jesy has the Queen of Hearts symbol on left side of her face near her ear. She got the tattoo done in December 2018 by artist Zaya Hastra in South City Market, London. This tattoo is a tribute the Little Mix's song "Women Like Me" from there album LM5.

## Facts

* Her real name is Jessica.
* She worked as a bartender.
* Her favorite color is black and red.
* Her style inspiration is Gwen Stefani.
* Jesy's Vocal Type is "Lyric Contralto"
* She is addicted to clicking her knuckles.
* Her nickname is Jesminda.
* Her favorite group is Spice Girls and her favorite member is Geri.
* Her favorite foods are Nando's.
* Her favorite Little Mix performance on the X Factor is E.T.
* Her favorite clothes shop are Topshop and Camden Market.
* Her first celebrity crush is Bradley from S Club 7.
* Her guilty pleasure/weirdest celebrity crush is James Corden.
* She was 13 when she had her first kiss.
* She shares a birthday with Alan Carr (Chatty Man).
* Her favorite musician is Missy Elliott.
* Her birth sign is Gemini (the sign of the twins) which is also the 3rd sign of the Zodiac.
* Her favorite movie is Taken.
* She washes her hair every day.
* She can do a Scottish and Australian accent.
* The girls describe Jesy as the most outgoing, lovely and caring person, who will always listen to you or talk to you when you have a problem.
* She is very good at beat boxing and used this skill during her audition as a solo artist, their Judges Houses performance of Cry Me a River, a Capella outbursts on X Factor, in Wembley Final during their mentor performance and in the Little Mix track Going Nowhere.
* She and Perrie share the same middle name, Louise.
* She is a fan of Jeremy Kyle.
* Her worst habit is that she takes the longest to get ready out of all the girls.
* She broke her arm three times.
* Her idols are Jessie J and Missy Elliot.
* She had Alopecia when she was 13, it was brought on by stress from bullying.
* She has moved schools multiple times because of bullying.
* The name Jesy means "God is Gracious"
* Her favorite color is pink.
* If she had a theme song it would be "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
* She loves Chris Brown and Ed Sheeran.
* Her favorite musical genre is hip hop.
* She is the oldest member of the group Little Mix.
* She was bullied on the Internet during the early Live Shows of X-Factor and has spoken about her experiences to inspire others.
* She has not yet taken her driving test.
* She believes that the band is very 'open'.
* She is left-handed.
* She got into singing when she started by mucking around in her room singing to her favourite songs.
* She worked as a bartender before being selected to compete on *the X Factor*, where she auditioned with "Bust Your Windows."
* She was raised by John Nelson and Janice White, and has a sister named Jade and two brothers named Joseph and Jonathan.
* Her Chinese astrology sign is 1991 Goat.
* Perrie gave her the nickname “Swagger Mix”.
* She attended Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College in Hornchurch, Essex. Jesy also attended both Sylvia Young and Yvonne Rhodes theatre schools.
* If Jesy could be any princess from Disney's movies she would be Merida.
* She was in the movie ​*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.*