Jade Thirlwall’s route to pop success began with three auditions for The X Factor. The third took her from the show’s boot camp to a newly assembled group, Little Mix, which became the first group to win the competition. Thirlwall went on to co-write songs for the band, including two UK number-one singles, before taking a solo recording deal and releasing music under the name Jade. Her career connects South Shields to British pop through songwriting, performance and sustained public advocacy.

From South Shields to the X Factor

Born Jade Amelia Thirlwall in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, on 26 December 1992, she is of Egyptian and Yemeni descent on her mother’s side and English descent on her father’s. She has described herself as mixed-race and has spoken about trying to reconnect with her Arab heritage. As a child, she attended an Islamic school to learn Arabic and also attended church. During her teens she studied pop vocals and cosmetic make-up, and completed three A-levels at South Tyneside College.

Thirlwall first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, aged 15, singing Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”. She was eliminated at boot camp. A second attempt in 2010 was unsuccessful. In 2011, she returned to the programme and auditioned with the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. After reaching boot camp, she was placed in a group with Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson, who had been put into another group, were also eliminated before the judges brought the four singers together as a new act.

Initially called Rhythmix, the group changed its name to Little Mix following legal issues. Mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos, the quartet reached the live shows and won the eighth series on 11 December 2011. They were the first group to win the programme. The result launched a career that would give Thirlwall a platform as both a singer and a songwriter.

Songwriting with Little Mix

Little Mix released six studio albums and had 19 UK top-ten singles, five of which reached number one. Thirlwall shares songwriting credits on more than 50 songs across the group’s albums. Among the best-known are “Wings” and “Shout Out to My Ex”, both UK number-one singles that she co-wrote. She also contributed to a body of work that included songs such as “Black Magic”, “DNA” and “Salute”. In 2019, she signed with Sony/ATV, formalising her work as a songwriter.

The group’s success extended beyond individual chart performances. Little Mix were cited for helping to renew the profile of girl groups in the UK. In 2021, they became the first girl group to win the Brit Award for British Group. That same year, the members announced that they would take a hiatus after the Confetti Tour in 2022, leaving space for their individual projects.

Thirlwall’s public image has also included a bold approach to clothing and styling. Her career has connected fashion with performance, from music videos to public appearances, while commercial collaborations gave that interest a practical outlet. In 2020, she worked with British clothing brand Skinnydip London on a collection, with proceeds intended to help families in South Shields. She later collaborated with beauty brand Beauty Bay on an eyeshadow palette. These projects sit alongside her music career rather than replacing it: her visibility as a performer has provided the context for her fashion work.

Jade as a solo artist

In March 2022, Thirlwall signed a recording deal with RCA Records in the UK and the United States. For her solo work she adopted the mononym Jade. Her first solo single, “Angel of My Dreams”, arrived in July 2024 and reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. Its success established her as a charting solo artist after more than a decade in a group.

She followed it with “Midnight Cowboy” and “Fantasy” in 2024, performing both “Angel of My Dreams” and “Fantasy” on Later... with Jools Holland. “Angel of My Dreams” received five nominations at the 2024 UK Music Video Awards and won Best Editing. In 2025, Jade won Best Pop Act at the Brit Awards and was nominated for Song of the Year for the same single.

Her debut album, That's Showbiz Baby!, was released on 12 September 2025 and reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. Further singles included “It Girl”, “FUFN (Fuck You for Now)”, “Plastic Box” and “Unconditional”. The album’s chart performance and the Brit Award marked a new stage in a career already shaped by collaborative writing and group success. In 2024, she also received the Trailblazer Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards.

Advocacy rooted in experience

Thirlwall has spoken about experiencing racism and bullying while growing up as one of the few people of colour at her school. She has also discussed body image and her experience of an eating disorder, which began when she was 13. She began recovery before auditioning for The X Factor in 2011. In a 2020 documentary about Little Mix bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock, she discussed the pressure she felt when images of her were edited to make her look as white as possible during the group’s early years.

Her advocacy has included visible support for LGBTQ+ rights. She became an ambassador for Stonewall in 2018 and has spoken at its Youth Awards. Her charitable work has also included fundraising for Mermaids UK, Comic Relief and Cancer Connections. In 2019, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with Pinnock and other British celebrities to raise money for Comic Relief. In 2021, she signed an open letter calling for a ban on LGBT+ conversion therapy, and the following year she wrote about bullying, anorexia and identity for Sink the Pink’s Manifesto for Misfits.

Thirlwall’s work has also maintained a connection with her home town. In 2019, she opened Arbeia, a cocktail bar in South Shields. The following year, she was named honorary president of South Shields F.C. and became a shareholder. These local ties complement her national profile: her career has taken her from a North East college and television audition to chart success, while her fundraising and commercial projects have continued to include causes and communities close to home.

Why Jade Thirlwall deserves a place in British Legacy

Jade Thirlwall deserves a place in British Legacy for a career that has contributed to British popular music both collectively and individually. Little Mix’s win on The X Factor made them the first group to take the title; their later run of albums, UK top-ten singles and Brit Award for British Group made them a significant part of the UK’s modern pop story. Thirlwall’s own contribution includes songwriting on more than 50 Little Mix tracks, among them two number-one singles. Her solo work then showed that her musical identity could continue beyond the group: “Angel of My Dreams” reached the UK top ten, and her debut album reached number three.

Her legacy also has a clear connection to place and public life. Born and raised in South Shields, she has directed business and charitable activity towards her home town, while speaking about the effects of racism, bullying and an eating disorder. Her work with Stonewall and support for LGBTQ+ rights have brought advocacy into the same public career as music and fashion. These achievements do not need to be reduced to a general claim about Britishness: they show how a singer from the North East has helped shape a prominent girl group, built a solo recording career and used her profile to support causes and communities. That combination gives her story lasting relevance in a record of contemporary British culture.

Sources

Jade Thirlwall · Jade Thirlwall

Adapted in part from Jade Thirlwall by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been edited and combined with the existing article; this adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.