Jade Thirlwall on Life After Little Mix and Taking a 'Risk' with Debut Solo Song 'Angel of My Dreams' (Exclusive)

Jade Thirlwall would like to introduce herself.

After more than a decade in Little Mix, the English singer-songwriter, 31, is branching out on her own following the group’s 2022 hiatus with “Angel of My Dreams,” a truly out-of-the-box debut single that’s already soared up the U.K. charts since its July 19 release.

The whiplash-inducing, multi-tempo dance banger features autobiographical lyrics about Thirlwall’s journey from auditioning for The X Factor UK in 2011, to the highs and lows of her time in Little Mix and anxiety surrounding solo stardom.

“Angel of my dreams / I will always love you and hate you, it’s not fair / It’s so bittersweet / I will always want you and need you, you don’t care,” she sings on the chorus of the track about her complex feelings toward the music industry — which quickly reached No. 7 on the charts in her native country.

The song arrived alongside an intricate, ultra-campy music video, which dramatically chronicles Thirlwall’s career journey and references films including The Fifth Element, Black Swan and Showgirls as well as Mariah Carey’s memorable MTV Cribs episode. 

It’s a wacky, emotional and glamorous clip that proves her choice to take time and figure out her artistic identity outside of Little Mix — she’s the final group member to release solo music — was well worth it.

Thirlwall caught up with PEOPLE to discuss “Angel of My Dreams,” her time in Little Mix with Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson, garnering comparisons to her groupmates, collaborating with her boyfriend Jordan Stephens and what fans can expect from her debut solo album.

"Angel of My Dreams" has been out for a few weeks now. How has it felt to see fans' reactions?

It's bizarre. It's a really big step doing a debut solo single, and I knew I was maybe taking a bit of a risk in my song choice. So to have had this overwhelmingly positive response has just been incredible. I am so happy with how it's going and people are understanding the artist I want to be.

It's all over the place and so much weirder than most Little Mix songs — in the best way possible. How did you land on the sound for this track?

I just knew I wanted to surprise people. I do think I've got quite a chaotic, creative brain, and I only get one shot of doing the debut single. So why not push the boundaries and do something a bit more out there? I feel like “Angel of My Dreams” is a perfect introduction into the JADE world. I wanted the song to almost sound like a musical masterpiece, and I wanted it to feel relentless. I feel like we nailed the brief, and people are enjoying it. I think it's refreshing to have a song out there that doesn't follow the status quo of pop.

The song has a sample of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String." How did you decide to incorporate that song? What does it represent to you?

I've tried to use that as a reference many times. It just never worked out. I was in a session with Mike Sabath, Steph Jones and Pablo Bowman. Pablo I've known for years, and he came into the room and was like, "Do you remember you used to always try and sample this song?" I was like, "That's so weird because in my notes on my phone, I had ‘Puppet on a String’ as a concept for a song." I knew I wanted to write a love song about being in the music industry, and I feel like “Puppet on a String,” for obvious reasons, is the perfect phrase and matches the concept of the song massively.

Me and the girls, especially when we first entered the industry, always got called puppets or manufactured. I always resented that statement because while I was aware I was a part of this huge label and coming from The X Factor, we were very much in control of what our sound was. So it's me reclaiming that phrase, turning it on its head and making it a positive story. 

That all comes across in the music video, a dramatized story of your career from The X Factor to Little Mix to going solo. How did you come up with the concept?

Well, it's always got to be campy, darling. I knew I wanted to tell this kind of surreal, fantastical version of my life. I knew it had to be like a movie. Aube Perrie, the director, was perfect for that. He's incredible, really nails that vibe and also pushes the boundaries of pop. I wanted it to feel like this fairy tale, but with a very dark undertone because again, it's an introduction to me. There's still so many people that maybe don't know who I am or what my story is, so it was really important for me to achieve that with the video. And I just love the drama. I love the looks. We did 11 glam changes and outfits. I'm a big pop fan, so I always try and do the most.

Have you looked to any other specific girl-group-members-gone-solo for inspiration while branching out on your own?

Yeah, I think so. I'm a pop student. I genuinely adore pop culture. When I was working on my first solo moment, I looked at artists like Gwen Stefani with “What You Waiting For?” To me, that was an incredible debut as a solo artist. I looked at some of my faves, obviously Beyoncé, Cheryl Cole in the U.K., there's so many that have nailed it. I feel like the running thread there is artists who take a creative risk or they go in all guns blazing. 

You've referred to yourself in the past as Little Mix's biggest fan. Was it difficult to think about forging your path as a solo artist when the group first went on hiatus?

A little bit. I obviously knew it was coming, but I definitely think I maybe struggled the most because I was so in love with who we were and what we stood for. I really loved our fan base. We really created this sisterhood and this empowering message. I was just so attached to it. My whole adult life was in Little Mix, so I had to unlearn things and recondition myself to exist outside of a girl group.

I think that's why I took the longest with my music. I really needed that time to evolve, figure out who I was on my own, experiment with my sound. It's been a really liberating experience. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I was back and forward from London to Los Angeles working with new producers and new writers, and I think it was really important for me to have the courage to do that. And it has paid off. Now, I really do know who I am.

Did Little Mix ever consider taking a hiatus earlier than 2022, perhaps when Jesy left the group in 2020?

There were definitely talks and plans pre-COVID, but I think when COVID happened and lockdown happened, that pushed things back a little and changed plans a bit. We always said that if we were going to take a break, we wanted to do it when we were at our peak and everything was still massive. We didn't want to dwindle or fail, and when Jesy left it was a tough time, but I think we knew we still had something really special. We didn't want it to end then. It felt so loving and celebratory to have that final tour and end on a high note. 

Now that you're all solo, how do you navigate the inevitable comparisons people are going to make between you and the other girls? Have you spoken about that with them?

A little bit, but I think we just find it funny. We're very different solo artists, so I feel like that helps. And look, we are women in the industry. We're always going to get compared. It's inevitable. I try not to look at any of that stuff. We're proud of each other. We support each other. We don't feel that level of competition or weirdness. I mean, obviously people are going to have their favorites. That's a given. But I think the OG and the diehard Little Mix fans will support all of us, and that's a beautiful thing.

You've said that despite not seeing Perrie and Leigh-Anne as much as you did in the group, the friendship is still really strong. How does it feel to know they still have your back?

Nobody knows what we went through besides us, so they're definitely still my comfort blanket. Whenever I'm struggling or if I'm a bit anxious, they're always there on the phone. We've got a group chat that we still message every other day supporting each other, so that'll never stop.

Did you see that Jesy told a fan she heard "Angel of My Dreams" and thinks it's a vibe?

Yeah, I saw that. Cool! It's nice to be supported.

Who else do you lean on for support in your personal and professional life when you're feeling anxious or unsure about something?

I definitely lean on my partner a lot, Jordan [Stephens], because he has a lot of experience in the music industry. He was also in a band [Rizzle Kicks] and then had to do his own thing, so I'm quite lucky that I have a boyfriend that's been there, done that, and he really is my biggest champion. I play him all my songs. I really value his opinion and not in a weird, my-boyfriend-determines-what-I-do way — a helpful, creative way. He's really great for that.

I also live with my best friend, Holly, and it's good having her around because she really doesn't care about what I do. We've been friends since school. She's so uninterested in this industry, and I think that's really healthy to have. She doesn't care about all the fame and all that stuff. 

Would you ever work with Jordan on music? Have you made music together?

Yes, actually we have done some writing sessions together, and if I remember right, he has got a couple of small credits on the album. He's been in the room a couple of times and helped with certain lyrics. He's a really amazing rapper as well as a really good lyricist. What I love about Jordan is he's the kind of person who knows when to not join in. He knows when to pipe up, when to give an opinion and when not to. Maybe in the future we'll do a project together if it feels organic. But we're very different artists as well. 

"Angel of My Dreams" is the first single from this upcoming album. You've said the project’s sound goes in many directions. How does this song represent what's to come on the full project?

I definitely think it's the perfect starting point to enter the world. The album itself, it's literally me experimenting and discovering what my sound is. I thought it was cool to let the fans in on that experience. There's songs that are a bit more straight-down-the-line pop-dance bangers, but then there are other songs like “Angel” where they switch up in the middle of the song or take you to different places. I've had a lot of fun Frankenstein-ing songs together and changing genres in the songs because I only get one chance to do a first record, and I want it to sound a bit chaotic because that's what it felt like being in the studio and trying to find my sound. 

Little Mix rarely performed in the United States. Can your fans expect to see you stateside this time around?

Please. Oh my God. One of the very, very few regrets that we had as a band, and it wasn't really down to us, but we always wanted to tour America and never quite got there. I think that's such a shame, and we know we've got so many fans over here. I'm going to manifest that eventually I'll get to do my own shows here. That's definitely a dream of mine.