Support truly
independent journalism
A producer who worked on Little Mix’s final single with Jesy Nelson has claimed that the singer’s backing vocals on the track, and some of her lead vocals, were recorded by an impersonator.
Nelson, 33, quit the pop group in 2020, amid a deteriorating relationship with her bandmates. She subsequently spoke out about the toll that being in the band had taken on her mental health, and has started releasing music as a solo artist.
Her final single with the band, 2020’s “No Time for Tears”, was produced by Tré Jean-Marie & Nathan Dawe.
On Saturday (20 July), Jean-Marie responded in an Instagram story to the news that “No Time for Tears” had been certified Gold in the UK charts, having sold 400,000 copies.
He wrote: “Fun Fact: All of Jesy’s BVs [backing vocals] (and even one of the leads) on ‘No Time for Tears’ are somebody else impersonating her because she was quite literally over it.”
The Independent has contacted a representative of Nelson for comment.
Nelson was part of the original line-up of Little Mix, dating back to the band’s formation on the reality series The X Factor in 2011.
Last year, Nelson stated that she had not spoken to former bandmates Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock in years.
Edwards recently spoke out about the estranged relationship in an interview with Cosmpolitan.
“We don’t talk, and haven’t done for a long time,” she said. “It’s really sad, it’s heartbreaking. But sometimes these things happen and people decide they want to part ways, and that’s absolutely fine.
“I would rather it went differently, but you can’t control how things go.”
Reflecting on their shared history in a positive light, Edwards continued: “It was the happiest time of my life. All we did was laugh together, banter together, cry together. It was so much fun. Yes we went through a lot in those 10 years, but we had each other.”
Speaking to The Sun last year, Nelson opened up about the mental health struggles she had endured during her time in Little Mix.
“For me my mental health issues were an ongoing thing while I was in Little Mix,” she said. I was struggling with my body issues, I was constantly being trolled – and I really, really struggled with it.
“I don’t have any regrets because I had to do what was right for me and I will always cherish the memories I had in Little Mix. So no, we haven’t talked since then. Never say never, but I honestly wish them the best on their solo journeys now, which is so exciting.”
