Prior to this year’s festival season, JADE had already performed on massive stages for countless fans — but never by herself. As such, appearances at 2025 U.K. festivals like Glastonbury, Mighty Hoopla and Radio 1’s Big Weekend required plenty of prep work.
“When I first started rehearsing, I was like, ‘Oh, s–t. I actually have to sing the whole of every song,’ ” says the 32-year-old pop star, who spent over a decade in the best-selling girl group Little Mix. “I had to train my body and breath work. And then there was my internal challenge, since I’m my own biggest critic. I was like, ‘What do I need to do to show everyone that I am great on my own?’ ”
JADE’s debut solo album, That’s Showbiz Baby!, answers that question: Due out Sept. 12 on Sony Music U.K./RCA Records, the 14-song project demonstrates the breadth of Jade Thirlwall’s taste as a pop student and skills as a wide-ranging vocal dynamo.
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Last year, JADE made her dramatic solo debut with “Angel of My Dreams,” a complex synth-pop firecracker that earned critical raves and became a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. The single hinted at her complicated relationship with the music industry, after Little Mix won The X Factor in 2011 and then relentlessly recorded albums and toured before going on a hiatus in 2022. In January, promotional single “IT girl” — which included lyrics like “Sign on the line for me/Baby, smile, but don’t show your teeth/Say goodbye to autonomy” — made those feelings about the group’s micromanaged run explicit.
“We all know what it’s about,” JADE says of “IT girl,” which she regrets not making a proper single. “It’s got a certain cheekiness — I’m a laugh-at-my-trauma kind of girl, and I really enjoy writing music that ruffles people’s feathers because that’s what art should do. Those are my experiences, and now that I’m on my own, there’s nothing holding me back from telling that truth.”
JADE started thinking about the tone of her debut while Little Mix was wrapping up its run and signed solo deals with Full Stop Management and RCA in early 2022. She felt an urge to continue the group’s momentum and immediately return to the spotlight, but found that all her early solo material sounded like Little Mix songs. “Part of me was conditioned to be on this hamster wheel with the group,” she says. “It was essential that I took a good two, three years to figure out who I am.”
During that time, JADE linked up with producers like Cirkut, Lostboy and Mike Sabath, translating “the art of compromising and teamwork” that she learned with Little Mix into studio sessions with multiple points of view. To establish her own, she drew inspiration from the styles she loved growing up, pre-X Factor: Motown, Clubland, musical theater. She also pulled from Madonna and Janet Jackson, pop icons with a knack for reinvention, as well as Gwen Stefani and Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts — former group members who fashioned bold sounds on their own.
As a result, That’s Showbiz Baby! balances bugged-out pop experiments like “Angel of My Dreams” and “IT girl,” thumping dancefloor fare like “Fantasy” and “FUFN (F–k You for Now)” and glimpses of JADE’s personality that she never had the opportunity to showcase within a group setting. “Glitch” pushes JADE toward futuristic R&B while exploring her own insecurities, while “Unconditional” is a clear highlight that illustrates the album’s ambition. Blending disco shimmer with aggressive guitar, JADE describes “Unconditional” as “Donna Summer meets MGMT” and is dedicated to her mother, who has battled health issues as her daughter has become a pop star.
Following a few more festival appearances in August, JADE will embark on her first headlining tour in October, presenting That’s Showbiz Baby! across Ireland and the United Kingdom. She says the goal of her live show is to present herself as more than “Jade from Little Mix” and that the reactions from her recent festival crowds have been beyond encouraging. “I’ve loved being onstage again and performing songs that I’ve written from my personal experiences,” she says. “The live shows in particular have shown me that I really can do this on my own and enjoy it.”
In that regard, That’s Showbiz Baby! is just the first step in a long-term plan: JADE already has song concepts for her second album and visual ideas for upcoming eras. Like Little Mix, her core fan base is in the United Kingdom, but she wants to expand outward and become a major force in other territories. After more than a decade of tireless work within a girl group, JADE understands she must prioritize originality and authenticity as a solo artist — but also knows she possesses the fortitude to achieve her goals.
“I live and breathe pop music,” she says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
This story appears in the Aug. 16, 2025, issue of Billboard.