JADE is the next big thing in music.
Mark my words. We will come back to this piece in the years to come to appreciate how right it was.
SO…by now, you know me. With these articles, I especially enjoy one thing and that is to share love for the girls who are doing their things.
This article is no exception.
As today, we are going to chat about the following person:
…ladies and gentlemen: this person is JADE (Thirwall).
Our story is in fact only a chapter in JADE’s life. Let’s go back a little to the presious chapter of her life; one that is all about being in a music group.
If there is any new artist who has a ton of experience to back them up, it certainly is JADE.
Indeed, she is embarking on a solo career after 10 years in a small underground british group called Little Mix. Just kidding: they are one of the most successful girl groups in history. Ever. America failed to make them the superstars they should have been but I certainly did not fail to do my part in the streaming and any other department which could lead to them being on top of the charts because of how empowered Little Mix made me feel as a woman.
May I add that they were one of the hardest working bands in the business as well. We normaly see this rythm for KPOP idols but it certainly is a thing on the Western front as well. Another X-Factor group was worked to the bones (One Direction say hi) and Little Mix did one thing and that is to follow in their footsteps. 6 albums in 10 years. 7 headlining tours without counting other work they did. Also, Little Mix lasted twice longer than One Direction with the equivalent schedule which we have to bow down for. A longevity we have to applaud again. And who I believe is a group which encapsulates pop in all its gloriousness!!!
Thus, with Little Mix, Jade learned what the word “hardwork” means. She also got to explore every single aspect of what makes the music industry: albums, singles, touring, live performances, award shows, interviews, social media, interaction with fans…and proper media training.
I truly believe this chapter of JADE’s life is part of why she is so fantastic as solo artist. This prepared her, gave her the necessary experience, the knowledge of what is good and wrong in music, the strength AND the time to develop her own style, her own distinguishable paw. And it was worth the wait.
At last, we have to mention it: as every group before them, at one point, Little Mix decided to go on hiatus. Not to disband. Again, I repeat: not to disband. I love them too much to accept this possibility to become a reality at one point. I just hope this hiatus will not be a 18 months type of lie situation although this can’t be because they were smart enough to not promise us a date for a group comeback. Also, a hiatus isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Giving yourself time to florish as individuals can give birth to even better, bigger things when regrouping. Putting this thought in the air for it to come to reality.
With an ending, comes a new beginning/chapter: it is SOLO time!
Fresh out of Little Mix, JADE acted cleverly in the way that she took her time to deliver.
This decision definitively had its risks.
History has proven that having your name associated with an established group does not necessarily create success when being on your own. If not worse. It can cause even bigger struggles for the artist because the public has more expectations as they already (think they) know you. They also are impatient on the final product to come out. The “they” I am using includes me, I have to stay real with you.
On the other side, we have someone taking her time which tell us one thing: that she was not there to please everyone but to make a great thing.
This is why I am saying there was a risk.
Yet, let me spoil you a little: JADE reminded us that GOOD things take time (Benefits>Risks).
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JADE’s biggest success so far is that she already managed to encapsulate who she is as an artist into a sound.
JADE (Thirwall is her official name, it was removed for herself as an artist) does not have a lot under her name yet: 4 singles so far and no album announced yet. That is not much (too less for me) if we remind ourselves that Little Mix went their separate ways starting in December 2021. We now are in March 2025.
These 4 singles, ‘Angel of my Dreams’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, ‘Fantasy’ and ‘IT Girl’ and one to be released on March 14th called ‘FUTN (Fuck You For Now)’ all have one thing in common.
They sound nothing alike yet they show us one thing.
JADE, as artist, found her sound, her lane, it is all very cohesive (as if it is going to make it into an album) and I love it. It is what makes her interesting. I will never fail to be amazed how each good artist captures their own sound as if we all did not start with the same sound of life. Life is just amazing when we have art to digest.
The sound in question for JADE? It is club, hyperpop, electro… an ever changing sound within one song. It is the type of art which I would describe as unconventional, experimental. It is good in its weirdness.
Sound is not the only thing which JADE mastered in little no time.
In addition to the sound, JADE is serving what oonly could described in Twitter slang as cuntness delivered by a British woman. She serves performer, entertainer. She is a MOTHER!!!
She is giving pop star and I absolutely adore it. Pop star in the drama, in the playfulness, in the making people talk, in the media have their headlines and in the talent (we often forget the talent entertainers have just because they can entertain us better than others).
JADE even gets it right down to the fashion!
One thing I also appreciate about her music are the themes she explores: ‘Angel of my Dreams’ is about how unforgiving the industry can be towards the people who make it what it is (Simon Cowell I am looking at you), ‘Midnight Cowboy’ is about relationships and I will not go deeper for this one, ‘Fantasy’ is about making space for your romantic partner to express their sexual fantasies and ‘IT Girl’ is about herself if you didn’t immediately got it with the title!
JADE is now giving us a taste of what her live performances will look like
At last, we have no choice but to stan the performance JADE gave while attending the BRIT Awards, the equivalent of the Grammys but just for Great Britain.
There, JADE also won the Pop Act Award (as deserved) presented by the one and only Sugababes who she shouted at years prior when winning a Brit Award with her music group Little Mix.
She won and gave a fantastic performance (the first official one) of her first ever single “Angel Of My Dreams”. This show had acts, the concept was original, she sung live, and I have one last thing to say about it before I am out: JADE, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS.
In conclusion, so far, there are no bad songs for JADE as individual artist, just serve after serve.
JADE is on a mission to become a pop artist and safe to say, that, so far, she crossed every mark to get there.
Now looking forward to a body of work, hopefully this year! Fingers crossed!
An article written by Nica — March 9th 2025 — France — RANDOM#39
