Following the hiatus of her band Little Mix and a subsequent quest to reconnect with her Arab roots, singer Jade Thirlwall is finally stepping out on her own
Hat, Roni Helou; Top, Critter. Photo: Rory Payne
A lot has changed for Jade Thirlwall in the four years since she last spoke to Vogue Arabia. It was late summer in 2020 and she was busy reconnecting with her roots, exploring her mother’s Yemeni heritage, and beginning to learn Arabic. In her professional life, the girl band with which she rose to colossal fame went on hiatus after the departure of one of the original four-piece. While each member of the group started to launch their own careers, Thirlwall bided her time. She wanted to hone her craft as a songwriter, define her style as a solo artist, and wait until the moment was right to step back into the spotlight – not as Jade-from-Little-Mix, but as Jade: a glossy pop sensation in her own right.
Jumper, Miló Maria; Dress, Burberry; Boots, Burberry. Photo: Rory Payne
The British singer joined Little Mix as part of television talent show The X Factor in 2011, and went on to achieve mega stardom on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. But after 11 years of non-stop success composing and performing hits with the band, Thirlwall struggled to be taken seriously by producers. “I was like, ‘What?’ I’ve worked so hard for over a decade and I still have to graft to get in these rooms.” While she did manage to assert herself, the work had only just begun.
Dress, Carla Zampatti; Top, Critter; Earrings, Métier by Tomfoolery. Photo: Rory Payne
It took some trial and error finding the right producers and songwriters to collaborate with on her pivot to being a soloist, but once she assembled Mike Sabath, Steph Jones, and Pablo Bowman, “it was one of those things where all the stars were aligning.” Seeing as they had respectively worked their magic on records by Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ellie Goulding, Thirlwall was surely onto something. It was liberating being able to draw on her own references and experiences, but the ideas weren’t immediately forthcoming. After 18 months going back and forth to writing rooms, she was reluctant to keep at it, citing a creative block and general exhaustion with the whole process. But her team persuaded her. It was the final push she needed to get out of her head, to make music for herself instead of for Little Mix; to stop caring what people would think altogether.
Coat, Helen Anthony; Top, Critter; Tights, Heist Studios; Shoes, Aquazzura. Photo: Rory Payne
With a little encouragement from fellow girl-band royalty Mel C, who she says told her, “you have to do what feels right for you,” Thirlwall finally found the Jade sound with “Angel Of My Dreams.” She shares, “I knew I was taking a bit of a risk with this song. I wasn’t chasing a radio-friendly hit, I was pushing myself creatively, thinking outside the box. I know this song’s a bit crazy.” But the response was ecstatic. Released in mid-July, her debut solo single spent the entire summer sitting comfortably in the UK Top 40, peaking at number seven.
Hat, Stephen Jones; Top, Critter. Photo: Rory Payne
A self-described love/hate letter to the music industry, “Angel Of My Dreams” set the tone for what to expect from Jade: witty and wry lyricism fusing lush vocal arrangements with slick and sassy flows. It’s audacious, it’s camp, and it’s utterly compelling. With barely enough time to process the triumph of her inaugural track, Thirlwall casually dropped follow-up “Midnight Cowboy” this fall. Leaning into an after- after-party vibe with bass that will blow the speakers, layered with electro inflections, you can practically feel the sweat dripping from the ceiling. Charli XCX asked for club classics, and Thirlwall delivered.
Coat, Qasimi; Dress, Balenciaga; Boots, Balenciaga; Gloves, Paula Rowan; Earrings, Métier by Tomfoolery. Photo: Rory Payne
Rather than setting out for commercial success, Thirlwall says, “I think this whole record is about me pleasing little Jade and my younger self,” both sonically and stylistically. Now that she’s not having to consider how her outfits form part of a harmonious whole, she’s been enjoying playing around with ever-more extravagant alter egos, in particular, “I would like to use the Vogue Arabia shoot to push myself in terms of being seen in a way that people maybe haven’t seen before.” In doing so, Thirlwall is fulfilling a childhood dream of seeing someone who looks like her embodying what she jokingly describes as “rich Arab auntie vibes”; getting to wear Middle Eastern designers including Qasimi and Roni Helou. She’s hoping the next step in this evolution will be to join forces with some of her favorite Arab artists, including Palestinian-Chilean musician Elyanna, who recently performed on the hallowed Pyramid stage at Glastonbury alongside Coldplay.
Jumper, Miló Maria; Dress, Burberry. Photo: Rory Payne
Jade may technically be a solo venture, but every step of the way has involved collaboration – whether with her dream team in the studio, her ride-or-die stylists Zack Tate and Jamie McFarland, or the visionaries behind her instantly iconic videos. With the album slated for release next year, and big plans for how to perform it live, who’s to say which names may appear alongside hers in the months to come. It’s clear that not only have the stars been aligning for this new era of Thirlwall, but her own star is on an unstoppable rise.
Style: Natalie Westernoff
Hair: Claire Moore
Makeup: Jenny Coombs
Nails: Jada Ellize
Set design: Trish Stephenson
Originally published in the October 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia
