Who Are They

## Little Mix

Little Mix are a British three-piece girl group consisting of Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards, previously a four-piece until former member Jesy Nelson left the band on December 14, 2020 due to health reasons. They competed on the eighth season of *The X Factor UK* in 2011 and won.

Since winning *The X Factor UK*, Little Mix have gone on to release six UK top 5 studio albums, five of which are platinum certified and one of which being #1 and five UK #1 singles and, as of 2021, have become the 5th best-selling girl group of all time.

## History

### **2011: Formation and The X Factor**

Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall successfully auditioned as soloists for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, but failed to make it past bootcamp's first challenge. However, the judges decided to give them another chance to be part of the Groups category, which happened August 19, 2011. They were then put into separate ensembles by the judges during the group's bootcamp stage, with Perrie and Jesy in four-member group known as "Faux Pas" and Jade and Leigh-Anne in three-member group "Orion". Both groups failed to make it through to the judges' houses. A later decision saw two members from each group being called back to form the four-piece group Rhythmix, this sending them through to the judges' houses.

Their first name together as a band was Rhythmix and with that name their first cover song was "Big Girls Don't Cry" in front of Jessie J and Tulisa in the judge's house, finally managing to get through. They reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. On October 26, 2011, Rhythmix announced that they would change their name following a dispute with a Brighton-based children's music charity of the same name, after the program tried to trademark "Rhythmix". It was reported that the group decided to make the change, despite no legal reason to do so, to avoid any difficulties for the charity. On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group's new name would be "Little Mix".  On December 11, 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first group ever to win the show. Their winner's single is a cover of Damien Rice's song "Cannonball", which was released via digital download on December 11, 2011, and on CD on December 14, 2011.  They were signed into Syco Records to make their albums. Little Mix doesn't have a leader. Once during the X Factor they've been told to make Perrie the leader of the band but Perrie said "We can all sing and there isn't a lead singer at all."

### **2012-2013: DNA and international breakthrough**

On January 25, 2012, Little Mix made an appearance at the National Television Awards and performed the En Vogue song "Don't Let Go (Love)". They also accompanied fellow judges Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos on stage to receive the Best Talent Show award that had been won by The X Factor. In May 2012, Little Mix reportedly signed a deal with Vivid and Bravado to release signature products including dolls, puzzles, accessories and games.

Prior to their debut single release, the band covered an a cappella version of Beyoncé’s "End of Time" and uploaded it on YouTube; the cover was publicly praised, especially for the group’s impressive harmonies. Later in August, they also uploaded another cover, this time an acoustic cover of "We Are Young" by Fun ft. Janelle Monae which again received positive feedback, generally, for the group’s harmonies. On June 1, 2012, a snippet of their debut single "Wings" previewed on chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man before its later release date in August.

Little Mix performed their debut single "Wings" for the first time at the T4 on the Beach concert on July 1, 2012. The single debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. On August 31, 2012, the group's autobiography, titled Ready To Fly, was released by Harper Collins. In October 2012, the group went on a promotional visit to Australia due to their expanding fan base there, destinations included Melbourne and Sydney. The trip lasted a week and the group visited radio stations to promote the single and debut album. They performed their single "Wings" on The X Factor Australia and on Australian breakfast-television show Sunrise. "Wings" subsequently reached #2 on the Australian iTunes chart and #3 on the ARIA charts.

Their debut album, *DNA*, was released in November 2012. Nicola Roberts co-penned a track called "Going Nowhere." on the album. The album reached #3 in both Ireland and the UK. Their second single off the album, "DNA", was released on October 1, 2013, which reached #3 in the UK charts as well as in Scotland and #8 in Ireland. In January 2013 they signed a record deal with Columbia Records in North America. "Wings" was released as their debut single in America on February 5, 2013. On February 3, 2013, they released "Change Your Life" as the album's third single, which charted at #12 on the UK Singles Chart. On March 4, 2013, it was announced that "How Ya Doin'?" would be released as the fourth and final single from their debut album.

On March 21, 2013, they announced that their next single, "How Ya Doin'?", would feature Grammy Award-winning musician Missy Elliott. On April 4, 2013, the group revealed that "Schwarzkopf hair dye Live Color XXL" would be promoted through their music video for "How Ya Doin'?" in a new sponsorship deal. "How Ya Doin'?" debuted at #57 on the UK Singles Chart on April 20, 2013, before ascending to #23 the week after. In its third week, the song peaked at #16, marking Little Mix's fifth consecutive UK top 20 hit. It charted for a total of seven weeks. "How Ya Doin'?" sold 120,000 copies in the UK. The single debuted at #55 on the Irish Singles Chart on April 11, 2013. It then climbed the chart to peak at #26. Consequently, "How Ya Doin'?" became Little Mix's first single to miss the top 20 in Ireland, but spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. The single peaked at #16 on the Scottish Singles Chart on May 11, 2013, marking the group's fifth consecutive top 20 hit in Scotland.

### **2013-2015: Salute and Word Up!**

In March 2013, Little Mix began their first promotional campaign in the US. In multiple interviews with various websites and radio interviewers, the girls said that they would begin working on their second album in April. The group began work writing and recording the album in April and concluded in September. In an interview with Digital Spy in March 2013, they stated that they wanted their second album to have a more R&B sound. Jesy added: "I personally want to put a lot more dancey stuff in there. As in, one of the songs that comes on in a club that makes you want to dance. Not that David Guetta sound, but more R&B – a bit like Eve and Gwen Stefani's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". They also revealed that they would be starting to write material for the new album in the coming months. On October 4, 2013, Little Mix uploaded a video to their official YouTube page, announcing that their second album would be called *Salute* and would be available for pre-order on October 7, 2013. The album was released on November 11, 2013 in the United Kingdom and was released in the United States on February 4, 2014. Throughout the recording process, Little Mix worked with several producers, including TMS, Future Cut, Fred Ball, Nathan Duvall and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album was largely co-written by Little Mix, who stated that they were more involved in the development of this album than with their debut.

On September 23, 2013, "Move" was premiered on BBC Radio 1. For the single, Little Mix worked with Nathan Duvall, an up-and-coming R&B producer and Maegan Cottone the girl's vocal coach. "Move" was released on October 7, 2013 in Australia and New Zealand. It was later released in the UK and Ireland on November 3, 2013. It was sent to Mainstream Radio in the US on February 18, 2014 and reached #38 on that chart. The song peaked at #3 in the UK, #5 in Ireland, #19 in Japan and #12 in New Zealand. The single also charted in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Slovak. Since then, "Move" has been certified gold in Australia for sales of 35,000 and silver in the UK for sales of 200,000. "Little Me" was selected as the second single from the album. The song was co-written by TMS and Iain James, and produced by TMS. On November 21, 2013, Little Mix revealed via a YouTube video message that they decided to release it as the second single because it held a lot meaning to them and was written with their fans in mind. The song reached #14 in the UK, #3 in Armenia, #15 in Iceland and #16 in the Netherlands. It also charted in Australia, Ireland and Lebanon. The band released a cover version of the Cameo's song "Word Up!" as the official single for Sport Relief 2014. The song reached #6 in the UK and #13 in Ireland while also charting in Australia, Austria, Denmark and France.

Little Mix announced on April 5, 2014 that the title track "Salute" will be released as the album's third single. It impacted UK radio on April 28, 2014. The official music video premiered on May 2, 2014 and received over one million views within 24 hours. It was released on May 30, 2014. The song reached #6 in the UK, #5 in Scotland, #12 in Ireland and #27 in Australia. In December 2013, the group announced the UK and Ireland dates for their second headlining concert tour, The Salute Tour, North American dates were added in April 2014. The tour began on May 16, 2014 in Birmingham, England at the LG Arena and ended on July 27, 2014 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre. The group were expected to begin the North American leg of the tour in September 2014, but was cancelled, due to the group wanting to work on their next album.

### **2015-2016: Get Weird**

At the 2015 Brit Awards, the group confirmed that their album was completed, describing it as having a "whole new sound" and projecting the release for sometime in 2015. In addition to writing over 100 songs for their forthcoming album, In May 2015, Little Mix released a song called "Black Magic" which became the group's third UK #1. Little Mix also co-wrote Britney Spears' single "Pretty Girls", which was released also in May 2015.

On July 15, 2015, following a leak of the album's cover art, the group officially announced on Twitter that their third studio album would be titled *Get Weird*, and would be available for pre-order in the UK from the following day, with a global release date set for November 6, 2015.

On September 25, 2015, the group released "Love Me Like You" as the second single from the album, it was released as a single only in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and peaked #11 on the UK charts. On December 5, 2015, Little Mix announced that their third single off Get Weird would be "Secret Love Song" featuring American R&B singer Jason Derulo, performing the single with Derulo that same night at Jingle Bell Ball. The song peaked at #6 of the UK charts and has been widely accepted as an LGBTQ+ anthem. On February 24, 2016, the group performed for the first time at the 2016 Brit Awards with "Black Magic" where they were also nominated for the Best British Single and British Artist Video awards.

On March 13, 2016 Little Mix embarked on The Get Weird Tour to promote the album, the arena tour consist of 60 dates across Europe, Australia and Asia. The Get Weird tour holds the record for being the highest selling UK arena tour of 2016 with over 300,000 tickets sold in the UK alone. On April 11, 2016, the group announced that "Hair" would serve as the fourth single from Get Weird, and would feature newly recorded guest vocals from reggae pop recording artist Sean Paul. The single was released on April 15, 2016 and reached #11 in the UK, #10 in Australia, #7 in Scotland and #20 in Ireland. The song also charted in France, Belgium, New Zealand and Finland.

### **2016-2017: Wishmaker, Our World and Glory Days**

On June 21, 2016, it was revealed that the group had begun work on their fourth studio album; they later confirmed that they would be releasing new music "before Christmas". During July, the band announced they are releasing second fragrance titled Wishmaker. It was released during the same month. In September 2016, the girls announced the release of their second book titled Our World. It was released on October 20, 2016. In an interview at V Festival in Chelmsford, the group announced that the lead single from their fourth studio album would be released in October 2016. On October 9, 2016 the girls revealed the lead single "Shout Out to My Ex" from their fourth album, released on October 16, 2016 which became their fourth #1 in the UK. On October 13, 2016 the girls announced their fourth album *Glory Days* which was released on November 18, 2016. The album debuted at #1 and spent five non-consecutive weeks at #1, making it the longest reigning girl group #1 album since Spice Girls' debut 20 years ago.

Little Mix announced on December 5, 2016 that "Touch" would be released as the second single from the album. It was released on December 18, 2016, and reached #4 in the UK. A remixed version of "Touch" featuring Kid Ink was released for US radio play on February 27, 2017. On the February 22, 2017, the group performed "Shout Out to My Ex" at the 2017 Brit Awards where they won their first ever award for Best British Single and were also nominated for British Group and British Video of the Year. A remix of "No More Sad Songs" featuring Machine Gun Kelly was chosen as the third single and was released on March 3, 2017, reaching #15 in the UK.

From February to April 2017, Little Mix toured North America as a supporting act for Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman Tour. Little Mix then embarked on their fourth headlining tour, the Glory Days Tour, beginning on May 21, 2017 and ending on November 26, 2017. The tour coincided with the group's summer tour, the Summer Shout Out. Little Mix announced on May 19, 2017 that a remix of "Power" featuring Stormzy was chosen and the fourth and final single from Glory Days, and was released on May 26, 2017. The song peaked at #8 in the UK.

In August 2017, Little Mix collaborated with Latin American boy band CNCO on a remixed version of the boy band's song "Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)", renamed to "Reggaetón Lento (Remix)". The song was released on August 18, 2017 and reached #5 in the UK. On November 24, 2017, Little Mix released a reissue of their album, called *Glory Days: The Platinum Edition*, which included the soundtrack to Glory Days along with the four remixed singles, as well as three brand new songs and a documentary of their Glory Days era. The reissue peaked at #3 in the UK as well as charted in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

### **2018-2019: Summer Hits Tour, Only You and LM5**

The group announced on November 27, 2017 that they will embark on their fifth concert tour over the 2018 summer called the Summer Hits Tour, this being the group's first headlining stadium tour. The tour began on July 6, 2018 in Hove, England and ended on July 29, 2018 in Inverness, Scotland.

In February 2018, Leigh-Anne Pinnock announced during an interview that the group were currently in the works for their fifth studio album and is set to be released in 2018, Jade Thirlwall later stated it is planned to release the album in November 2018. On June 14, 2018 it was revealed that Little Mix collaborated on a song with American DJ trio Cheat Codes titled "Only You", which was announced by both groups and released on June 22, 2018. The song hit a peak at #13 in the UK.

On September 30, 2018, the group announced the lead single of their fifth studio album, "Woman Like Me" featuring Trinidadian-born American rapper Nicki Minaj. The song was released on October 12, 2018 and hit a peak of #2 in the UK. On October 15, 2018, Little Mix announced their fifth studio album *LM5* which was released on November 16, 2018. The album peaked at #3 in the UK, making Little Mix the only girl group in UK chart history to have five consecutive albums peak in the top 5. During November 2018, it was confirmed that the group parted ways from their record label Syco. Their fifth album was released under their new UK record label RCA Records. Little Mix performed "Woman Like Me" with Ms Banks at the 2019 Brit Awards on February 20, 2019 where they also won their second award for British Video of the Year. The remixed version of "Woman Like Me" featuring Ms Banks was released on February 22, 2019.

Little Mix announced on January 22, 2019 that a remixed version of "Think About Us" featuring American rapper Ty Dolla Sign would be the second single from LM5 and was released on January 25, 2019. The song hit a peak at #22 in the UK. The group embarked on their sixth concert tour LM5 The Tour, beginning on September 16, 2019 and ending on November 22, 2019.

### **2019-2020: Bounce Back, One I've Been Missing and Summer 2020 Tour**

On May 26, 2019, the group announced their single "Bounce Back" which was released on June 14, 2019. The song peaked at #10 in the UK. On November 18, 2019, the group announced their next single "One I've Been Missing", which is also the group's first official Christmas single. The song was released on November 22, 2019.

On November 25, 2019, the group announced they would embark on their seventh concert tour and second stadium tour over the 2020 summer called the Summer 2020 Tour. The tour would have begun on June 26, 2020 in Falkirk, Scotland and concluded on July 26, 2020 in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was announced on April 22, 2020 on the group's social platforms that the tour was cancelled due to the 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

### **2020-2021: Little Mix: The Search, Confetti and Jesy's Departure**

In October 2019, Little Mix announced that they were recording a British reality television music competition titled Little Mix: The Search, with the winner of the show being an opening act of the Confetti Tour in 2021. The series was initially set to be filmed and aired in April 2020 but was pushed back due to the 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic. The series began airing on BBC One from September 26, 2020 to November 7, 2020.

In March 2020, the group announced the lead single of their sixth studio album, "Break Up Song". The song was released on March 27, 2020, which peaked at #9 in the UK, as well as #4 in Australia, #2 in Scotland and #18 in Ireland. The song also charted in New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary. On July 16, 2020, the group announced the second single off the album, "Holiday", which was released on July 24, 2020. The song peaked at #15 in the UK, #9 in Scotland and #23 in Ireland. On September 17, 2020, Little Mix announced their sixth studio album *Confetti* which was released November 6, 2020 and peaked at #2 in the UK.

On October 8, 2020, Little Mix announced that a tour film for LM5 The Tour would premiere in cinemas worldwide on From November 21 to 22, 2020. A trailer for the film was released on YouTube on October 15, 2020. On October 19, 2020, Little Mix announced the third single off the album "Sweet Melody", which was released on October 23, 2020. The song became their fifth #1 in the UK. It was announced on October 20, 2020 that Little Mix will host and perform at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony on November 8, 2020. On November 23, 2020, it was announced that Little Mix collaborated on a song with English DJ and producer Nathan Dawe titled "No Time For Tears", which was released on November 27, 2020. The song peaked at #19 in the UK.

On December 14, 2020 Jesy announced her departure from the band through social media, with Little Mix continuing as a trio with Leigh-Anne, Jade and Perrie. On April 21, 2021, the group announced the fourth single off the album, "Confetti" featuring American singer and rapper Saweetie, which was released on April 30, 2021. The song peaked at #15 in the UK. On May 11, 2021, Little Mix won the award for British Group at the 2021 Brit Awards, being the first ever girl group in the awards show history to win this award. In May, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards both announced their pregnancies.

### **2021: Heartbreak Anthem, Kiss My (Uh-Oh) and Between Us**

On May 14, 2021, it was announced Little Mix collaborated on a song with French DJ David Guetta and Swedish DJ duo Galantis titled "Heartbreak Anthem", which was released on May 20, 2021. The song peaked at #3 in the UK. On July 8, 2021, it was revealed Little Mix collaborated on a song with English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie titled "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)" for Anne-Marie's second studio album, *Therapy*, as the album's fourth single. It was released on July 23, 2021. The song peaked at #10 in the UK.

On July 16, 2021, it was announced that Little Mix will be honored with wax figures at Madame Tussauds in celebration of the group's ten-year anniversary. The wax figures debuted on July 28, 2021. On August 19, 2021, the ten-year anniversary of the group, Little Mix announced a greatest hits album titled *Between Us*, which will be released on November 21, 2021. The album features 18 of their past singles plus five brand new songs. On August 30, 2021, the group announced the first single off the album titled "Love (Sweet Love)", which was released on September 3, 2021.

## Artistry

Little Mix cites the Spice Girls, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child, En Vogue, TLC, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera and Rihanna as their musical influences.

## Discography

### Studio Albums

* DNA (2012)
* Salute (2013)
* Get Weird (2015)
* Glory Days (2016)
* LM5 (2018)
* Confetti (2020)

### Reissue Albums

* Glory Days: The Platinum Edition (2017)

## Tours

### **Headlining**

* DNA Tour (2013)
* Salute Tour (2014)
* Get Weird Tour (2016)
* Glory Days Tour (2017)
* The Summer Hits Tour (2018)
* LM5 The Tour (2019)
* Summer 2020 Tour (2020; Cancelled)
* Confetti Tour (2022)

### **Promotional**

* X Factor Live Tour (2012)
* Black Magic Radio Tour (2015)
* Love Me Like You Radio Tour (2015)

### **Supporting**

* Sound City Festival (2012)
* Neon Lights Tour (2014)
* Dangerous Woman Tour (2017)