Leigh-Anne's debut solo album 'My Ego Told Me To' out now
It's finally here!
Last updated 20th Feb 2026
Ever since Little Mix went on hiatus in 2022, fans of Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards have been following their solo careers. After Perrie and JADE both released their debut albums in 2025, it's finally the turn of Leigh-Anne's.
Leigh-Anne became the first of the trio to release solo music in the summer of 2023, putting out 'Don't Say Love' to the delight of her followers, followed by her EP 'No Hard Feelings' in 2024. Since then she has continued to drop several singles, however fans were ever keen to know more about her album. Now we know the singer's debut album 'My Ego Told Me To' has dropped, find out more about it...
What is the album called?
Leigh-Anne's debut album is called 'My Ego Told Me To'.
Sharing the artwork for the album in October 2025, Leigh-Anne wrote on social media: 'Guys 😭... I can finally say that after two years in the making my debut album ‘MY EGO TOLD ME TO’ is out 20th February, 2026!'
Before also revealing she would be going on tour in support of the album, she opened up about what's happened over the last two years. She told her fans: 'The journey to this moment hasn’t been smooth. I’ve navigated going solo after over 10 years in a group, left a label and gone independent. It feels like I’ve started from the beginning TWICE 🙈 but I truly believe everything has happened exactly how it was supposed to.💫
'I’m saying no to expectations, no to categories and no to boxes, this is me reclaiming my power 💫
'It’s raw, unfiltered and everything I imagined my debut album would be! GASSSSED for you all to hear 😭😍'. (sic)
What is the album artwork?
When she announced the album, Leigh-Anne shared the artwork (see above). Then a few weeks later, Leigh-Anne released the alternative artwork, telling fans: 'MY EGO TOLD ME TO - ALTERNATIVE ALTER EGO COVER ❤️🔥
'PER-ORDER NOW LIVE - OUT FEBRUARY 20TH 2026
'of course my ego had to have her own vinyl ❤️🔥
'I revived her because I was done being polite about my pain.
'Done being told to “wait my turn.” She’s the energy that pushed me to take control of my art, my story, my whole era. The part of me that kept saying “don’t let them dim you.”
'We made this music together, we survived it together and we’re bringing you an album shaped by every moment that tried to break me!
'If you’ve ever felt overlooked but still unstoppable… this one’s for you ❤️💚'.
When is it being released?
Leigh-Anne's debut album was released on Friday 20th February 2026.
What is the tracklist?
Leigh-Anne revealed the tracklist for her album in January 2026, as expected it includes some of her songs from last year, including 'Been A Minute', 'Burning Up' and 'Dead and Gone'.
'My Ego Told Me To' tracklist
- 'Look Into My Eyes'
- 'Dead and Gone'
- 'Revival'
- 'Been a Minute'
- 'Goodbye Goodmorning'
- 'Burning Up'
- 'Most Wanted' featuring Valiant & Rvssian
- 'Tight Up Skirt'
- 'Best Version of Me'
- 'Me Minus U'
- 'Sunrise'
- 'You Are a Star (Interlude)
- 'Free'
- 'Talk To Me Nice'
- 'Heaven'
Will the album be supported by a tour?
Yes it will be. As well as announcing details of her new album, Leigh-Anne revealed she would be going on tour in February 2026. She will be playing dates in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and London as part of a wider 'My Ego Told Me To Tour', including European dates.
The singer will also be going on a signing tour, allowing fans to get hold of a signed copy of the album. She revealed the dates at the end of January, telling her fans: 'I heard you wanted some album signings 👀 to celebrate the release of my debut album I’ll be coming to a city near you during release week. I can’t wait to meet all of you, take pictures and sign your CD’s, Cassettes and vinyls 😍 Tickets are on sale now via the link in my stories and bio!' (sic)
Scroll through to see Leigh-Anne's incredible career so far:
2011 - Leigh-Anne Pinnock wins The X Factor as part of Little Mix
Prior to auditioning for The X Factor, Leigh-Anne Pinnock worked as a part-time waitress at Pizza Hut. In 2011, she chased her pop stardom dreams and auditioned for the show as a solo artist. Leigh-Anne was soon put into a girl group along with Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson, originally named Rhythmix. They soon changed their name to Little Mix as they continued with the show.
On 11th December 2011, Leigh-Anne, Jade, Perrie and Jesy became the first group to win The X Factor, with Little Mix crowned the champions under the leadership of their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos.
2021 - Documentary, film debut and Little Mix hiatus
Leigh-Anne took part in a documentary, entitled Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power, which aired in May 2021. The documentary centred around Leigh-Anne talking about racial issues, and also featured RAYE, Keisha Buchanan from the Sugababes and Alexandra Burke. She received a nomination at the National Television Awards for Best Authored Documentary.
After the documentary, Leigh-Anne and Andre launched a charity called The Black Fund. The charity works with existing charities to deliver support to the black community.
In October, Leigh-Anne appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race UK as a guest judge. The series featured many famous guests throughout, including Emma Bunton, Steps, Matt Lucas and Oti Mabuse.
Leigh-Anne's film Boxing Day was released on 5th December. Not only did Leigh-Anne's Pinnock Productions contribute to the film, but the singer also starred in it. After filming wrapped in early 2021, the movie was released in UK cinemas on Friday 3rd December 2021.
Then, later in December 2021, Little Mix announced they would be going on a hiatus in 2022, following their 'Confetti Tour'.
2022 - Leigh-Anne announces solo record deal
In February 2022, Leigh-Anne confirmed she had signed a solo record deal with Warner Records UK, sharing their announcement with the caption: 'So excited for what's to come 😍🙏🏽'. Later that year, she shared pictures from Jamaica where she could be seen with other writers and producers, confirming she was working on new music.
2023 - Honorary doctorate, debut solo single and memoir
In March 2023, Leigh-Anne announced that she'd narrated the original Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid for Audible UK.
In July 2023, Leigh-Anne received an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. She returned to her home town of High Wycombe to collect the accolade.
Leigh-Anne delighted fans by dropping her debut solo song 'Don't Say Love' on 16th June. Speaking about her new music, Leigh-Anne told us: "I would love to sell out shows on my own. That would be a dream. Just to have fans, just for me I think is gonna be... Ah yeah, there's gonna be tears."
In July 2023, Leigh-Anne received an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. She returned to her home town of High Wycombe to collect the accolade.
She released her second single 'My Love' on 7th September 2023. The song features Nigerian singer Ayra Starr.
Leigh-Anne released her memoir Believe on 26th October 2023, announcing the news on social media with a clip of herself reading it. She wrote in the caption that she'd felt as though she'd been in a "whirlwind" since winning The X Factor, and hadn't had "chance to process," adding that she wanted to "respect her past" before embarking on a "new journey".
2024 - 'No Hard Feelings' EP and first solo show
Leigh-Anne released 'Stealin' Love' on 28th March, a new song which featured on her EP called 'No Hard Feelings', released on 31st May. Leigh-Anne described her EP as a collection of songs which: 'While not part of my album, have helped inform my direction as an artist, a songwriter and a musician.'
Leigh-Anne took to the stage for her first headline show since going solo in Lafayette London, a live music venue near Kings Cross.
On Friday 22nd November 2024, Leigh-Anne took to the stage of Birmingham's bp pulse LIVE arena for Hits Radio Live, performing solo hits and new music. The 'Don't Say Love' singer wowed audiences with her incredible vocals and energetic dance breaks. Check out all the pics here.
2025 - More songs and leaving her record label
In May 2025, Leigh-Anne began teasing new music, sharing pictures of herself in the studio and featuring what appeared to be a clip of new music.
In September 2025, Leigh started to tease another song, which fans believed was called 'Dead and Gone'. It was later released on 17th October, following pop banger 'Hello' on 3rd October, for which she teamed up with Sigala and Jonita.
Her last song of the year was released on 21st November, called 'Friends' and featured Jamaican singer Rvssian. In an email to her fans, Leigh-Anne explained what it was about: 'We've all had that one friend who turns out wasn't actually your friend. This song for me captures that feeling of the weight off your shoulders after finally cutting them off ❌.' (sic)
Leigh-Anne reflected on a busy 2025 in a New Year's Eve Instagram video featuring footage recorded earlier that year, opening up about her decision to leave her record label. She said: "So, long story short, the label have said no basically. They don't have the budget to put my album out. So I'm ready to just take the reigns. It'll be a new chapter and I just can't wait. And I'm leading this s---."
2026 - Debut album release
Leigh-Anne released her debut album on 20th February, telling Hits Radio: "This is a massive moment, I think it's just because it's taken so long to get here. It's been two years in the making and I think the fact that I'm doing it my way, like my terms, and I've done it myself, and got it over the line myself, I just feel like it's just even sweeter."
On the day Leigh-Anne announced her debut solo album, 'My Ego Told Me To', the singer also revealed she will also be going on tour in April 2026. She will be performing in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and London as part of a wider European tour.
Now read:
Tickets are on sale for Leigh-Anne's 'My Ego Told Me To Tour'
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