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Little Mix recently sparked separation rumors after current members Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Ann Pinnock and Jade Thirwall expressed their interest in a number of individual projects. The latest rumor comes amid former member Jesy Nelson’s ongoing “blackfishing” controversy.
According to The Sun, the involvement of the band members in their solo endeavors could mark the end of the popular girl group. Sources close to the singers told the outlet that they have already discussed their respective plans:
“They’ve been pretty open with each other about it. There are a lot of meetings happening at the moment. Some of them have already done management deals. Leigh-Anne has signed up with Dua Lipa’s manager, Jade is cutting her teeth as a songwriter and presenter, while Perrie is working on other things too.”
Jesy Nelson was the first member to quit Little Mix last December. The singer recently released her debut single Boyz featuring Nicki Minaj, but came under fire, as fans accused her of blackfishing and cultural appropriation in the music video.
A look into Little Mix’s individual career plans
Singers Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirwall, Leigh-Ann Pinnock and Jesy Nelson first came together as a group in X Factor UK under the name Rhythmix. The group later changed its name to Little Mix and won the reality competition series.
The band went on to become one of the most popular girl bands of all time and won millions of hearts across the globe. Unfortunately, Jesy Nelson announced her departure from the group in December 2020 due to her struggles with mental health.
The band continued to perform as a three-piece group with Perrie, Leigh-Ann and Jade. More recently, the trio reportedly expressed interest in developing their individual solo careers.
Perrie Edwards welcomed her first child, son Axel, with footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on August 21, 2021. Earlier this week, the singer also teased the upcoming launch of her own brand called Disora. The company is likely to launch later this month and fans have been asked to register their emails for early access.
Similarly, Leigh-Ann Pinnock also embraced motherhood on August 24, 2021. She welcomed twin babies with her fiance Andre Gray. The singer has already ventured into acting with her debut film Boxing Day and is reportedly planning to undertake more acting roles in the days to come.
Meanwhile, Jade Thirwall also plans to work on several solo songwriting projects. Little Mix members are also busy with multiple negotiations and management deals ahead of their rumored split. It is likely that the remaining trio will go their separate ways after ending their tour in May 2022.
A recap of former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson’s controversy
Jesy Nelson has long been accused of alleged cultural appropriation and blackfishing. Fans called out the singer back in 2018 after sported dreadlocks in a now-deleted Instagram post.
Earlier this year, several people criticized the singer after they came to know about her white British ethnicity. Many claimed that they mistook her as an African-American woman due to her appearance over the years.
Similar claims resurfaced online after Nelson recently flaunted dreadlocks and a tanned complexion in the music video of her debut single. However, she refuted the allegations during an interview with Variety, claiming that she never faced such criticism during her time with the band:
“The whole time I was in Little Mix I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it. I wasn’t on social media around that time, so I let my team [deal with it], because that was when I’d just left.”
Following the controversy, the remaining Little Mix members reportedly unfollowed Nelson on social media. In response, the latter allegedly mocked Leigh-Ann Pinnock during an Instagram live with Nicki Minaj earning further backlash from Little Mix fans.
However, an insider told The Sun that the controversy did not affect the band and the girls have continued to focus on their respective future plans:
“They still get on great, despite everything that has happened with Jesy. But her departure put the cat among the pigeons. They all know there will have to be a career beyond Little Mix, so they’ve put things in place. The plan is to see out commitments, then turn to solo projects almost immediately.”
It has also been mentioned that the singers intend to continue the band alongside their solo careers but the plan remains questionable as of now:
“The intention is to keep the band going too — but that’s how One Direction ended and it’s hard to believe they will have time for everything.”
Little Mix is set to release their seventh album Between Us next month. However, it remains to be seen if the band will continue to make music together in the days to come. The group is yet to directly address their separation rumors.
