Jade Thirlwall

Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer. Her music career began at the age of 15, when she auditioned for ''The X Factor UK'' on three occasions before rising to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix. Formed during the show's eighth series, Little Mix became the first group to win the competition, and together went on to release six studio albums and amassed nineteen UK top-ten singles, five of which reached number one. Before going on hiatus in 2022, they became the first girl group to win the Brit Award for British Group.

In 2022, Thirlwall signed a solo record deal with RCA Records and released her debut single, " Angel of My Dreams" in 2024, to acclaim from music critics—many of whom called it one of the best singles of the year. "Angel of My Dreams", reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2025 Brit Awards. Her debut solo studio album '' That's Showbiz Baby'' is set for release on 12 September 2025.

In addition to her solo work, Thirlwall has co-written songs for various artists through her publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music. Known for her political and social activism, she is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and an ambassador for Stonewall. Her involvement with charity work earned her the ''Gay Times'' Honour for Allyship in 2021. She won Best Pop Act at the 2025 Brit Awards and received the Trailblazer Award at the '' Rolling Stone UK'' 2024 awards.

Early life

Jade Amelia Thirlwall was born on 26 December 1992 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, to parents Norma Badwi and James Thirlwall. She has an older brother. She has Egyptian and Yemeni descent from her mother's side and English descent from her father's. She identifies herself as mixed-race, and has been learning to connect more with her Arab-Egyptian-Yemeni heritage and its language in hopes of travelling more to the Middle East.

As a child, Thirlwall attended an Islamic school to learn how to read and write in Arabic and attended church. During her teenage years, she studied pop vocals and cosmetic makeup and completed three A-levels at South Tyneside College. In 1943, Thirlwall's grandfather Mohammed Ahmed Saleh Badwi, a devoted Muslim, emigrated to South Shields, from Yemen, and worked as a fireman in the merchant navy, and as a labourer at the docks. He met his wife Amelia in South Shields. Thirlwall's great-grandfather was from Egypt.

Music career

2008–2022: Career beginnings and Little Mix

In 2008, at the age of 15, Thirlwall auditioned for ''The X Factor'' (UK), singing "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston, but was eliminated at the boot- camp stage. She returned for a second time in 2010, but was unsuccessful. In 2011, at age 18, Thirlwall returned for the show's eighth series and auditioned with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, and advanced to bootcamp stage. After failing the first challenge she was placed into a group named "Orion" with Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson were both in another group called "Faux Pas", and eliminated from the contest. Later, she and the other girls were called back by the judges and were placed into a supergroup originally known as Rhythmix. Without a performance, they automatically progressed to the judges' houses and reached the live shows where they were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos.

On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group had to change their name to Little Mix, because of legal issues. On 11 December 2011, Little Mix was announced as the first group to win the series and subsequently became the first girl group to make it past week seven of the live shows, the first to reach The X Factor final and the only girl band to win the show after it was discontinued.

Thirlwall shares songwriting credits for more than 50 songs, across Little Mix's six studio albums. She has co-written two UK number one singles with " Wings" in 2012 and " Shout Out to My Ex" in 2016. In 2019, she was recognised as an official songwriter after signing with Sony/ATV. Since Little Mix's debut they have been cited for helping the girl band renaissance in the UK and for re-defining girl groups. In December 2021, the group announced they would be going on a hiatus, after The Confetti Tour in 2022 to allow its members to pursue solo projects.

2022–present: Solo endeavours and ''That's Showbiz Baby''

In March 2022, Thirlwall appeared as a guest judge on the first series of '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World'', and made a cameo appearance in the British musical television drama series '' Mood''. The same month, she signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records in the UK and USA, and with Full Stop Management. She co-wrote a track for Nayeon's 2022 debut album, '' Im Nayeon'', marking the second time she had worked with her having previously contributed to Twice's album '' Taste of Love'' in 2021.

Thirlwall's debut solo single titled " Angel of My Dreams" was released on 19 July 2024. The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In September 2024, she released the promotional single titled "Midnight Cowboy",Thirlwall began recovery and left the hospital weeks before she auditioned for ''The X Factor'' in 2011. In 2020, she was featured in a documentary titled '' Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power,'' and spoke about the time that she wanted cosmetic surgery after discovering her images were heavily edited to make her look as "white as possible" during her earlier days in Little Mix.

In 2022, Thirlwall appeared on ''Heat'' magazine's "UK and Ireland 30 under 30" rich list for the first time with an estimated net worth of £17.5 million placing her at number 15. The following year, she climbed to 11th position with £19.8 million.

Endorsements and fashion

Thirlwall is a patron for Cancer Connections and an ambassador for Stonewall. In November 2019, Thirlwall opened her own cocktail bar, called Arbeia, in South Shields. In June 2020, she collaborated with Skinnydip London, a British clothing brand, with the money from her collection being donated to help struggling families in South Shields. In the same year she launched a second collaboration with them. In August 2020, she was announced as the Honorary President for South Shields F.C. and became a shareholder for the club in the same year.

In September 2020, she was photographed alongside Heidi Klum, Lil Nas X and Helen Christensen by fashion campaign Christian Cowan for his Spring/Summer 2021 collection. On 10 September 2021, Thirlwall was announced as the new face ambassador of the Italian sportswear brand, Ellesse "Autumn/Winter" collection. On 11 October 2021, she released her own eyeshadow palette in collaboration with Beauty Bay. On 12 February 2025, Italian fashion house Fendi launched an advertising campaign featuring Thirlwall.

Activism

She is noted for her political reviews and social activism, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter and against transgender conversion therapy in the UK. In May 2014, she donated a haul of clothes, with all of the proceedings going to the homeless. In 2017, Thirlwall donated another collection of her clothes to help raise money for Cancer Connections. In the same year she helped raised money for Stonewall at her drag-themed 25th birthday party. In May 2018, she also spoke at the Stonewall Youth Awards about what it meant to be an ally and encouraged more artists to do the same. In 2018, she became an LGBTQ+ rights ambassador for LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and in 2018, attended Manchester Pride with them.

In 2019, Thirlwall and Michelle Visage raised £10,000 for the Mermaids UK, and in the same year she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and other British celebrities. In December 2019, she spent her birthday raising money for cancer charities which has become a yearly tradition for her. In 2020, she attended a march with Stonewall during Manchester Pride and took to social media to call out someone who questioned the importance of pride month.

In June 2020, Thirlwall attended a Black Lives Matter protest in the UK following the death of African-American man George Floyd, and attended the Black Trans Lives Matter march in London. In July 2020, she called out L'Oréal for not supporting the black trans community after their treatment towards model Munroe Bergdorf. In 2020, she criticised the media after journalists mistook her for band member Leigh-Anne Pinnock. A journalist had used an image of Pinnock in an article that was focused around Thirlwall. In the interview she revealed that journalists often confuse the pair during interviews and that photographers often shout Pinnock's name at her whenever she is attending events.

In January 2021, Thirlwall won one of ''The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off'' specials in the fourth series. In March 2021 she partnered up with UNICEF to learn about the war in Yemen. In July 2021, she signed an open letter to the UK Equalities minister Liz Truss calling for a ban on all forms of LGBT+ conversion therapy. In May 2022, Thirlwall contributed to Sink the Pink's book titled ''Sink the Pink's Manifesto for Misfits'', writing about her experiences with bullying, anorexia and her identity issues because of her mixed race. She also teamed up with a designer to create a limited edition community shirt for a North East football club, with all donations going to charity Cancer Connections. Thirlwall attended the Not Safe To Be Me protest at Downing Street advocating for the ban on transgender conversion therapy in the UK, following the government's reversal on the issue.

In June 2025, Jade called out J. K. Rowling during her performance at Mighty Hoopla for her comments towards the transgender community.

Discography

Studio album

Singles

Promotional singles

Guest appearances

Songwriting credits

Filmography and videography

Music videos

Television roles

Accolades

In 2024, Thirlwall's song "Angel of My Dreams" made her the only Little Mix member to have a solo single spend two weeks inside of the top ten of the UK singles chart to date. In 2025, she became the first former girl band member to win a solo Brit Award.

Listicles

Tours

Headlining

That's Showbiz Baby! The Tour (2025)

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thirlwall, Jade
1992 births
Living people
British feminist musicians
English feminists
English LGBTQ rights activists
English people of Egyptian descent
English people of Greek descent
English people of Yemeni descent
English women pop singers
English women songwriters
Labour Party (UK) people
Little Mix members
Musicians from South Shields
21st-century English songwriters
21st-century English women singers