Before Jade Thirlwall was Jade from Little Mix, she was Jade from South Shields, contestant number 159420 on The X Factor. It was on that show in 2011 that Thirlwall, baby-faced at 18, joined hands with three other teen hopefuls to form Little Mix, setting off a chain reaction of events that would see them become Britain’s biggest, best-selling, Brit-winning girl group since the Spice Girls.
It’s been three years since Little Mix announced their hiatus in 2022 – an eternity in music – but within minutes of meeting Thirlwall, who is now 32, I’m reminded of the iron grip their slick, snappy bubblegum pop had on the nation. The chorus of “Shout Out to My Ex” – one of several No 1s; a true bop unmatched in its stinging takedown of a bad boyfriend – comes to mind instantly, as easily recalled as the name of my first pet or my mum’s birthday.
