Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well and that the winter blues aren’t getting to you. I find this time of year extremely hard; January seems to be twice as long as the other months. To stop the loneliness getting to me, I’ve been working and reading as much as I can. I’ve also decided to put some time into this website, so here we are with another article!
I’ve talked about my love for Little Mix a few times in the past. I was twelve when they were on The X Factor, which I now realise is half the age I am now. That scary fact aside, I’ve been an ardent fan of their music from the beginning. DNA was the first non-Disney soundtrack I ever owned. I think Salute is one of the greatest girlband albums of all time, it’s a masterpiece. Oh, and I wore bows in Year 8 thanks to Jade Thirlwall.
Leigh-Anne filmed a video for Instagram in mid-2020 regarding her experience as the only black member of the band. She discussed being told eight years prior by the choreographer of the ‘Wings’ video that she would have to work ten times harder than the other girls to gather the same credit. In the years that followed, Leigh documented how she constantly felt invisible; she dreaded meet and greets, knowing that she’d be the least favoured amongst fans and she recalled concerts where crowds failed to cheer her on. Back in the 2013 Tumblr days, I recall Leigh always being classed as the ‘underrated’ performer. As such an avid fan, I’ve always harboured a guilt towards her not receiving the same amount of attention. Leigh’s video was just confirmation that she’d seen comments like that and had known about them all along.
The book begins with Leigh-Anne recalling her childhood. She discusses how her mother would struggle to style her hair, eventually turning to online tutorials for help. Pink oil moisturiser, she cites, was her saviour. At school, Leigh-Anne writes that she never felt as though she belonged to one friendship group. She was on amiable terms with everyone, dipping into various social circles. She scored top grades and was later awarded the position of Head Girl. As a former Deputy Head Girl myself who swotted her way through her A Levels, I always love to read of women who had the same priorities as myself.
Leigh and I differed in regard to her singing talent. She, like the other Little Mix girls, is a phenomenal performer. She threw herself into every aspect of performing arts throughout school, determined to give her dreams a try at every angle. She writes about her first boyfriend, and how as a result of the tight-knit, pocket-sized community she lived in, everybody knew about their eventual breakup. Part of the reason she went on to audition for X Factor, she states, was to get away from the rumours flying around her small town home.
In the last few years, ex-contestants from The X Factor have spoken out about the trauma and turmoil that takes place behind the scenes. Auditions are chopped and edited to tell an entertaining story as opposed to give a clear indication of what took place. Leigh-Anne recalls being put into a group of strangers and how, despite methodically rehearsing their performance, a member of the group decided to seize the moment by jumping in front of the judges table and singing to the judges personally. At the time, Leigh writes that she was shocked and shaken up by the decision. Now, however, she understands what the pressure of wanting something so badly can do to you.
Little Mix’s friendship has never been for the cameras or press; the girls, from the beginning, were best friends. They began forming relationships between them prior to Kelly Rowland putting them together. Leigh writes of having a turbulent relationship with Frankie Cocozza during the live shows, detailing one rift the pair shared after he took Jade’s lasagna from the shared fridge. Working as hard as they did, time to sit down and have a decent meal was hard to come by. According to Leigh, he called her the C word. Karma only bites you if you bite first. Luckily, the girls had a wonderful relationship with Tulisa, who saw their potential from the start and ensured they all played an equal part in the group.
For those of you interested in the now-exposed rift between Jesy and Leigh-Anne, you might be disappointed to hear that Leigh-Anne doesn’t dwell on it. She talks about Jesy throughout the text, writing that shortly after their X Factor win, the pair of them moved into a flat in London. She reminisces over the fun they had at that time and the bond they formed. Jesy’s departure, Leigh writes, was an extremely difficult period for all the girls. They sought therapy as a trio; for so long, their friendship had not only been the key to their success, but the one consistent and reliable crutch in an ever-changing industry. Personally, I found the fallout between the girls hard to digest when it first occurred. What made the girls special was how they differed from other girl groups, in that they got along. They were always friends first. I wasn’t convinced that Jesy was on the greatest of terms with the remaining girls, though after their pregnancy announcements, I was convinced there must have been some communication between them. Shortly after the Instagram Live debacle, a headline in The Times read ‘The Little Mix fallout might be the most depressing feud pop has ever seen’. I think I’d have to agree.
Leigh, to her credit, didn’t retaliate. She writes of the fallout and how awful it was to log on to social media. Like most things, it blew over. Having gone through an extremely bitter and difficult fall out with friends of my own, I found her resilience and perseverance admirable. She refused to react publicly and carried on working as though nothing had occurred. I did the same, though not on a public scale of course.
Overall, the text is informative and details behind the scenes factoids you might have wondered if you’ve followed Little Mix’s career. Leigh expresses her excitement for her future as a solo artist and I have to express my own - Don’t Say Love is an amazing song. Leigh’s confessions over feeling second best whilst in the group are heartbreaking to read. As you all know, I'm a sucker for those who wear their hearts on their sleeves and are vulnerable in their work. I'm glad she wrote this book, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for her.
Thanks for reading everyone!
For anyone looking to send me a message, you can drop me a note at karisma@thethinkingtrain.com
Stay kind to yourselves!
Karisma xxx