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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Susan Knox

Leigh-Anne Pinnock finally 'feels free' after releasing solo music without Little Mix

Leigh-Anne Pinnock shot to fame back in 2011 when she appeared on The X Factor and was asked to form a band alongside Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and former member Jesy Nelson.

However, the singer, 31, has finally set out on her solo career, with her debut single shooting to number one in the UK charts.

The former Little Mix singer has branched out on her own and released her first song titled Don’t Say Love which was available for fans to stream now.

And after enjoying five number-one singles as a member of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne was emotional and excited to see her solo effort rock to the top of the charts when it was released on Friday - and she let her hair down in London after hearing the exciting news.

After her wild night out in London, Leigh-Anne appeared on The Hits Radio Breakfast Show to promote her song.

Leigh-Anne's first solo single has shot to number one in the UK charts (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Warner Music)
Leigh-Anne with her Little Mix bandmates, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards (Getty Images for Warner Bros)

Explaining how she felt releasing music without Perrie and Jade at her side, she said: “I think for me, I always said the album had to feel like an open letter.

"Everything that I couldn’t really get off my chest in the group, it is now my time to do that. Whether it’s like my relationship, things that I experienced in the group, everything I guess.”

The singer went on to confess she did feel pressure to perform well.

“I’m just on a cloud. There’s just so much going on and it’s all good stuff and the reception has been amazing. I was just so petrified as well.

"There’s so many expectations for all of us coming out of something for so long, like on our own, but I’m just so proud of it.

"I love it and I’m excited.”

Little Mix were formed on The X Factor in 2011 and became the first group to win the competition.

The band released six albums before Jesy quit the band in 2020 and Leigh-Anne, Jade, and Perrie continued on without her.

After the immediate success of her solo singer, Leigh-Anne has said that having her own release day is the moment she had always dreamed of but added that she is grateful for her time in the group.

“We obviously all auditioned as solo artists and the best thing they could have done was put us in a group because now I have all of this experience under my belt”, she said.

“Eleven years of being on stage, writing and just everything that I’ve learned I can now use now and it finally feels like the right time.”

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