Jade Thirlwall's rise to fame: From The X Factor to global superstar
What a career she's had!
Jade Thirlwall really has proved that if at first you don't succeed, you should try and try again. After being unsuccessful on The X Factor as a 15-year-old schoolgirl back in 2008, Jade persevered with another audition in 2010, and went on to hit it big as part of Little Mix - who WON the show in 2011. And, as they say, the rest is history.
But Jade wasn't just a singer in one of the world's biggest girl groups, which is currently on a hiatus - she's also a nightclub and cocktail bar owner AND a solo superstar - with her debut track landing in July 2024, a bonus song just two months later, and a third song not far behind. She also has an album coming out in 2025! Let's take a look at all the amazing things she's achieved so far...
Here we take a look at Jade's very impressive career highlights:
2008 - Jade's first audition on The X Factor
Jade first auditioned on The X Factor back in 2008 at the age of just 15. Singing Whitney Houston's song 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', the Geordie girl impressed Louis Walsh, Cheryl Tweedy and Simon Cowell enough to be sent through to the bootcamp stage, but unfortunately she didn't progress any further.
2010 - Jade auditioned on The X Factor for a second time
Undeterred, Jade auditioned on The X Factor again, but once again it wasn't to be. Matt Cardle won the competition that year, with One Direction being runners up.
2011 - Jade won The X Factor as part of Little Mix
It was third time lucky for Jade as she won The X Factor as part of Little Mix. It wasn't an easy ride though as she failed the first bootcamp challenge to get through to the girls category.
Luckily for Jade she was brought back as part of a three-piece group along with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, with Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson in another group. Despite both groups being eliminated from the competition, it was decided that the four girls would be brought back as a group, who went on to win the competition. And as they say, the rest is history.
2013 - Little Mix released a makeup range
Little Mix released their own makeup range, Little Mix by Collection, in 2013. The girls' range consisted of bronzer, blusher, eyeshadow, lipstick and nail polish, with each girl linked to a personal range to reflect their style. Jade Thirlwall had a turquoise eyeliner.
The following year, Little Mix released a summer collection containing moisturising lip balms. Each girl had their own scent with Jade having raspberry, Perrie had natural shimmer, Jesy had vanilla, and Leigh-Anne had mint.
2016 - Little Mix released 'Glory Days'
'Glory Days' was Little Mix's fourth studio album. The album went to Number 1 in the UK and included 'Shout Out to My Ex', which was a BRIT Award-winning song for Jade and the rest of the group.
2017 - Little Mix win their first BRIT Award
'Shout Out to My Ex' won the girls their first BRIT Award. The award was for British Single of the Year and reached Number 1 in the UK, it was co-written by Jade along with the rest of the group and a team of songwriters.
2019 - Little Mix win another BRIT Awards
Despite not winning British Group, Little Mix took home the BRIT Award for British Video of the Year, for their single 'Woman Like Me' featuring Nicki Minaj. This was also the year when it was revealed that Jade had been signed to Sony/ATV via joint venture TwentySeven, as a published songwriter along with Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
2019 - Jade Thirlwall appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race UK
The singer appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in the episode Girl Group Battle Royale.
2019 - Jade opened a nightclub
Jade Thirlwall opened a cocktail bar in South Shields called Red Door. In 2020, the name was changed to Arbeia.
2019 - Jade Thirlwall climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
2019 was a busy year for Jade. The singer, along with her Little Mix bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day.
2020 - Jade opened a nightclub
Jade opened a nightclub called Industry, next door to her cocktail bar, she also collaborated with clothing brand Skinnydip London.
2021 - Little Mix get their own waxworks
To mark the band's 10th anniversary, Madame Tussauds unveiled waxworks of Little Mix, including former member Jesy Nelson.
Working with Ellesse, Jade also became the new face of the Italian sportswear brand, as well as launching her own Autumn/Winter collection.
In 2021, the singer also launched her own eyeshadow palette with Beauty Bay. The palette was inspired by Jade's love for crystals, spirituality and astrology.
2021 - Jade appeared on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off
Appearing on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off for charity, Jade was crowned the winner of her episode. The singer wowed Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with her recreation of one of the group's concerts in front of thousands of biscuit fans.
Jade also won the Allyship award at the Gay Times Honours.
2022 - Jade was a judge at The Ciroc Iconic Vogue Ball
In June 2022, Jade was a judge at The Cîroc Iconic Vogue Ball. The Cîroc Iconic Ball took place at Koko in Camden and saw the UK's house-ballroom community unite for a celebration of Pride.
2022 - Jade attended Simon Carroll's A Disco Christmas
In December, Jade attended Simon Carroll's A Disco Christmas in support of FareShare. Simon, who is a brand partnership agency owner, held his Christmas event to raise money for a charity which fights hunger and tackles food waste in the UK.
2023 - Jade teases working on solo music
Following the announcement that Jade had signed a solo deal with RCA Records in March 2022, Jade had stayed pretty quiet on the solo music front. That was, however, until November 2023, when she shared an Instagram post showing her behind the mic. The post included an image of Jade wearing headphones in front of a recording microphone, hinting to fans that she has been working away on her upcoming solo music.
2024 - Jade posts more solo music teases
Jade got her fans whipped into a frenzy once again in May 2024, sharing a series of photos on the grid - including one of herself in a recording studio with some chunky headphones on alongside the caption: 'I'm working laaaaate cos I'm a singer,' quoting the smash hit 'Espresso' by Sabrina Carpenter. Many fans took to the comments to share their excitement - including former bandmate and BFF Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who wrote: 'Drop the album already.'
2024 - Jade announces debut solo single release date
On 2nd July 2024, Jade finally answered our prayers as she not only revealed her debut single title, but also the release date! The singer confirmed that her first solo track would be called 'Angel Of My Dreams', and would be dropping on 19th July. Jade shared the cover art for the single, as well as a short clip of the song itself - teasing a new sound we can expect to hear from her. Of course, the exciting post attracted thousands of likes and comments, including bestie Leigh-Anne Pinnock who wrote: 'Let's gooooo 😍😍😍' (sic), and boyfriend Jordan Stephens who added: 'Sweating'. It's fair to say fans couldn't wait for the track to drop, with the short teaser of the song quickly going viral on TikTok, along with an accompanying dance.
2024 - 'Angel Of My Dreams' is released
Jade released her incredible tune 'Angel Of My Dreams' on Friday 19th July 2024, with a first official play on-air the previous evening. The sensational video came out on the Friday, with Jade using it to show her "love/hate relationship with the music industry". Fans were utterly obsessed from the get-go, with many flooding the comments section of her YouTube premiere with words of praise and encouragement. It's safe to say it's a hit!
2024 - Jade gifts fans with 'Midnight Cowboy'
On 22nd September, Jade teased that she was set to release another bop - featuring a very familiar voice! The singer shared a teaser video for 'Midnight Cowboy', not only featuring a snippet of the new song, but also Ncuti Gawta, who fans know from his starring roles in titles such as Sex Education, Doctor Who and Barbie. Shortly after the teaser clip was shared, Jade wrote: 'I didn't want you all to have to wait so long for music again 💙MIDNIGHT COWBOY💙 is a gift from me to you until my next single drops 🌟'. (sic)
With her also adding: 'oh and there's a visualiser out at 10am BST too ⛲️' (sic), it was then on 25th September that fans were gifted with the full track, along with the visualiser video on YouTube. As well as reportedly working with RAYE on writing the song, Ncuti's voice can be heard in the opening of the track.
Who has Jade Thirlwall collaborated with?
As part of Little Mix, Jade released a number of collaborations, with the likes of Sean Paul, Galantis and David Guetta, however it emerged in late 2021, that she's also worked with another dance DJ as a solo artist.
With Little Mix starting their hiatus after their 'Confetti' tour, Jade worked away on some solo music - with her debut track 'Angel Of My Dreams' being released on 19th July 2024. Whilst a solo album is on the horizon, it's not yet known if other artists are set to feature on it.
DJ Jax Jones, however, revealed that he worked with Jade saying: "I was in the studio with Jade and she is mega-cool and super-talented. She is also such fun to be around. We wrote something really cool so hopefully that can come out too."
Tying fans over until her next single, Jade released 'Midnight Cowboy' on 25th September 2024. The track was reportedly co-written with RAYE, as well as Sex Education, Doctor Who and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa featuring!
Read more:
Jade Thirlwall: Everything you need to know about the Little Mix singer
Little Mix: Everything you need to know about the UK's biggest girl group
20 fascinating facts you never knew about Little Mix 🎶