Hey America, It’s Time To Give Little Mix The Attention They Deserve

Posted On May 27, 2020

Samantha Colleran, May 2020

Little Mix are a British girl group composed of Leigh Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson, who were formed on The X Factor UK in 2011 and won the entire show for that year. Not only is this rare for a group, it’s extremely rare for a girl group. From the moment they won The X Factor UK, they’ve been working tirelessly. They’ve stuck together for nearly nine years and it doesn’t seem as if they’re splitting any time soon. The girls have faced so much together; Perrie’s extremely public breakup with former One Direction member Zayn Malik, Jesy’s struggling with body image issues and online bullying (her recent BBC Three documentary Odd One Out highlights these struggles), Leigh Anne facing racist comments from online trolls, continuously being put down for ‘selling themselves out’, and trying to navigate the industry as women, these girls have been through a lot. Through all of this, they still have yet to make a large impact in the USA despite going on tour with Ariana Grande for her Dangerous Woman Tour a few years ago, and being guests on popular radio shows such as On Air with Ryan Seacrest and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. So today, I’d like you all to read and see exactly why you should give some attention to Little Mix. 

To start, their first album is a really excellent debut album. They have a rework of Missy Elliot’s “How Ya Doin’” and even got her to be a feature on the single! The fact that this didn’t blow up is beyond me, especially since Missy is such an iconic name in music. The album also has a feature from T-Boz of TLC on the song “Red Planet”. How do people not know this? Generations of girl groups joining together to create a really cool song is something that I thought would have been a much larger topic of conversation. Aside from features, the album is pure pop perfection with a nod to 90s pop and R&B styles. Their work has only gotten better with each album release up to their most recent album titled LM5. With singles like “Move” (Salute), “Shoutout To My Ex” (Glory Days), “Black Magic” (Get Weird), and more recently, “Wasabi” (LM5) and “Break Up Song” (no album as of now, LM6?), these girls make you want to get out on the dancefloor with your friends and dance your worries away. 

Although they deliver the perfect night out bop, they can slow it down. Their acapella performances such as their song “The End” from their third studio album Get Weird, and a powerful ballad on Glory Days (and one of my personal favorites) “Nobody Like You” proves that these girls can range a number of genres and make their audience feel a number of emotions. Their lyrics cover numerous topics, some of the most notable ones include female empowerment (“Strip”, “Power”), lifting up and inspiring one another (“Wings”, “Change Your Life”), love (“I Love You”, “Oops”), and breakups (“Shoutout To My Ex”, “Hair”). 

Their live shows are incredible. They have numerous stage outfits, a lot of really great choreography with a crew of awesome backup dancers, stage props and sets, and on their Get Weird and Glory Days tours some shows had matinee and evening shows on the same day. Talk about hard work. Dancing and singing while maintaining that glorious Little Mix sound (sometimes twice in one day) is something that takes so much practice, but it’s clear these girls have it down to a science. 

The girls of Little Mix are even working on a BBC show called The Search where they’re looking to help solo artists and bands grow as artists, work with top producers, and even win the chance to earn a position as an opening act for their (now postponed) tour. They’re giving back to the music community, and I think it’s amazing.

As a final note, just watch the video below. If you’re not on board with the Little Mix train after hearing this, I don’t know what to tell you. (Skip to about 4:40).

Little Mix is a powerful girl group who don’t take nonsense from anyone. They’re strong, empowering women, and they deserve more recognition for their beautiful harmonies, strong lyrics, and mesmerizing stage presence. You can rely on each girl to bring something different to the table. If you’re looking for the tough and determined sound turn to Jesy, smooth vocals and underrated high notes you need Leigh Anne, if you want spunk and sass to brighten the mood you can rely on Jade, and for the gritty, gravelly sound you can always count on Perrie to deliver. Individually these girls are talented, but together they’re an unstoppable force, and it’s time they get the credit and attention they deserve, especially in the USA music market. 

Check out my ‘Pick of the (Little) Mix’ playlist below which features some of my favorite Little Mix songs, as well as all of the songs mentioned throughout this post, but please do take some time to listen to all of their music! If you get the chance, stream their most recent single “Break Up Song” on Apple Music and Spotify, and let me know your thoughts on the extremely talented Little Mix in the comments below!