BOASTING five number one singles, dozens of awards and seven sell-out world tours collectively, there was no question when Little Mix announced their hiatus they would all go on to achieve great things.
After ten years together, each Little Mix star gradually announced new solo music, and the last – but certainly not the least – is Jade Thirlwall, 31, who now goes by just ‘Jade’.
Jade recently announced her new single on Instagram, with fans excited by the news the track, entitled Angel Of My Dreams, released this week.
All the Little Mix singers have branched out to release solo music.
Jesy Nelson, 33, went first, quitting the band in 2020 and releasing her controversial debut single Boyz in October 2021.
The band continued as a trio until 2022, and after announcing their break Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 32, was the first to release new music by herself in 2023, followed by Perrie Edwards, 31, earlier this year, with her track, Forget About Us.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede says: “The stars from Little Mix are already all multi-millionaires, and now they have all released solo singles they will be making even more money.
“All of them are very successful – as a trio after Jesy left they made over £54m collectively, and they will continue to make substantial residual income from their songwriting and producing credits.
“Their other money can come from social media deals, solo record deals, co-writing credits and personal appearances and brand partnerships.
“All the girls have been savvy with their saving and investments and it’s paid off.
“However, while Jade’s new single is set to storm the charts and all the girls have released really good songs, none of them have yet been able to create the pop magic of stars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter or Dua Lipa in their solo efforts.
“They will therefore be looking to diversify, and make use of all their talents – not just their singing careers.”
Here with the help of Nick, we take a look at each star’s earning potential, their net worth and the individual empires they’ve since built up…
The last to release any new music, it’s Jade’s time to shine – and with 2.2m TikTok followers the catchy tune will no doubt go viral on the platform.
But Jade doesn’t need to rely on her solo career to ensure she maintains her very healthy wealth.
She opened her own bar in her hometown of South Shields called Arbeia Bar, and has collaborated with the likes of Skinnydip, Ellesse and Beauty Bay.
Nick says: “Jade is set to release her new single and at the moment it’s all eyes on her.
“She has amassed a huge fortune due to her savvy social media posts and also appearances on show like Drag race, and through her nightclub in South Shields.
“She has worked on brand collaborations and successfully cemented herself as a gay icon and ally.”
Mum of twins Leigh-Anne delighted fans by dropping her debut solo song ‘Don’t Say Love’ last year, and she has gone on to release ‘My Love’ and earlier this year, ‘Stealin’ Love’.
Away from music, the 32-year-old has been extremely savvy, and is said to have invested along with her footballer beau Andre Gray in an old factory in Wolverhampton to turn into flats.
In fact, Nick actually estimates Leigh-Anne is the Little Mix star with the biggest fortune currently.
Nick says: “She has amassed a huge fortune as she has been very savvy in her spending.
“She has bought an old bicycle factory to convert into flats, has her own swimwear brand and signed a lucrative publishing deal with Sony.
“She’s also the only one of the band to have booked a solo tour which is a perfect way to connect with fans and make new ones.
“Not only that she has had successful fashion collaborations with brands like ASOS, she has also set up a charitable foundation with her sister as she has always been very altruistic.
“She has starred in a movie she also produced, Boxing Day, and lent her voice to the audible version of The Little Mermaid and an auto biography – there is no stopping her.”
December 2020: Jesy Nelson announces she’s quitting the band, citing mental health reasons.
October 2021: Jesy swiftly releases solo music, with her first single Boyz, featuring Nicki Minaj, which makes it to number four in the UK charts.
December 2021: The other members of Little Mix announce they’re taking a break, but promise fans they aren’t breaking up.
April 2023: Jesy releases her second single, Bad Thing – but it fails to enter UK top 100.
June 2023: Leigh-Anne Pinnock releases Don’t Say Love, which reaches number 11 in the UK charts.
September 2023: Swiftly after she releases second single, My Love, hitting 28 in the charts.
March 2024: Leigh-Anne releases Stealin’ Love, which peaks at 64.
April 2024: Perrie Edwards releases her solo offering, catchy hit Forget About Us, which just makes it into the top ten.
July 2024: Jade Thirlwall finally announces her new music, a track called Angel Of My Dreams.
After band success, mum-of-one Perrie signed a bumper deal with Columbia Records, the label that helped produce the first five Little Mix albums alongside Simon Cowell’s now defunct Syco.
The 31-year-old, who has been in a relationship with footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain since 2016, also has her own lifestyle brand, Disora, which boasts a gymwear range.
She previously worked with Superga, and also became the first female ambassador for Supreme Nutrition.
Nick says: “Shes a huge star and big earner and she has always been a savvy spender too.
“She created the lifestyle brand, Disora, which is going from strength to strength and has managed to monetise her social media and amassed a fortune.
“With her solo career just launched she will be under a lot of pressure to deliver but she has the support so there’s no doubt she’s set for even more success.”
Jesy announced that she was quitting Little Mix back in December 2020, and was quick off the bat to launch her solo career – but many believe she was poorly advised from the outset.
Following the difficult reception to her controversial first track Boyz, which saw her embroiled in a “black-fishing” storm in October 2021, Jesy walked away from her record deal with Polydor.
She then spent some time working on second single, Bad Thing, which failed to enter the UK Top 100 chart, and she then scrapped plans for a third single after the rocky start.
However, not needing to worry about money, she then temporarily quit the showbiz circuit in favour of a trip around the world.
However she enjoyed phenomenal success with her 2019 documentary Odd One Out, winning a National Television Award, and is also rumoured to be working on a tell-all documentary about her solo career.
Nick says: “She left the band to pursue a solo career which didn’t quite go to plan.
“She faced a few setbacks but she has made her money from being in the band and the residuals they received keeps her money topped up.
“Her career has stalled in music and she reportedly pulled out of a lucrative deal with Netflix to appear in the new Bear Grylls’ TV show.
“She has appeared on our screens successfully as a documentary maker however, and also as a contestant on shows like Celebrity Bake Off.”
