Leigh-Anne Pinnock: Everything you need to know about the 'Burning Up' singer
She has new music coming
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, or should we simply say Leigh-Anne, rose to fame as part of the hugely popular girl group Little Mix. Since going solo, the singer has released several singles, an EP and her debut solo album called 'My Ego Told Me To'! Not only that, but the singer will be going on 'My Ego Told Me To Tour', later this year.
Away from music the singer has also released a memoir, married her beau Andre Gray and welcomed twins. She's certainly come a long way since finding fame on The X Factor back in 2011, so find out everything you need to know about the extremely talented Leigh-Anne...
Who is Leigh-Anne Pinnock?
Leigh-Anne is a British singer who is best known for her time in girl band Little Mix. The singer auditioned for The X Factor as a solo artist, was put into the band alongside Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and former member Jesy Nelson.
How old is she?
Leigh-Anne was born on 4th October 1991, making her 34-years-old!
How tall is she?
Leigh-Anne is 1.6 meters in height, making her 5ft 2in.
Her solo record deal
In February 2022, Leigh-Anne signed a solo record deal with Warner Records UK, becoming the first active Little Mix member to do so. She began teasing solo material in early 2023, sharing studio updates and announcing she’d been "cooking up a storm". Her debut solo single, 'Don't Say Love', followed in June of that year.
In September 2023, Leigh-Anne released her second single, 'My Love', featuring Nigerian artist Ayra Starr, describing it as a "fresh start". By March 2024, Leigh-Anne dropped two more tracks 'Stealin' Love' and 'Forbidden Fruit', which featured on her debut solo EP 'No Hard Feelings'.
Then in May 2025, she became an independent artist, releasing her first independent single 'Been a Minute' in July, followed by 'Burning Up', 'Hello' with Sigala and 'Dead and Gone'.
During New Year's Eve reflections later that year, Leigh-Anne explained the label "didn't have the budget to put the album out", so she decided to "take the reigns", calling it a new chapter.
She released her final song of the year on 21st November called 'Friends', however it doesn't feature on her debut album.
In January 2026, Leigh-Anne then announced her first single of the year called 'Most Wanted'.
Her debut solo album
Leigh-Anne's debut solo album 'My Ego Told Me To' dropped on 20th February 2026.
Before announcing it, Leigh-Anne told us that there would "100%" be an album. She went on to explain: "I've come from that background, d'you know, like being an album artist, so creating bodies of work, that's what I was really excited to do. But it actually happened more quickly than people thought. Everything's really come together really well, and hopefully we'll have an album out early next year... Hopefully!"
In another interview with us she also revealed that she definitely wants to include some collabs on her solo album. "Everyone loves a collab."
Is Leigh-Anne on tour?
Along with announcing her debut solo album, Leigh-Anne revealed that she would be going on tour in April 2026. The singer will be performing four dates in the UK, in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and London as part of a wider European tour.
The tour is called 'My Ego Told Me To Tour', in the post announcing her album and tour, she told 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 awards has she won?
Leigh-Anne and the rest of the Little Mix girls have picked up three BRIT Awards, in 2017 they won British Single of the Year for 'Shout Out To My Ex'. This was followed in 2019 with their second BRIT, British Video of the Year for 'Woman Like Me' featuring Nicki Minaj. The group's third award was for Best British Group in May 2021!
In 2020, Leigh-Anne, along with Jade Thirlwall, won an Ethnicity Award for her support during the Black Lives Matter protests.
2021 was a big year for awards with Leigh-Anne picking up awards for her documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power. The documentary won an Ethnicity Award for Media Progress Moment, I Talk Telly Award for Best Documentary and in 2022, Documentary of the Year from the Visionary Honours Awards.
Leigh-Anne was awarded an Inspirational Honorary Award at MBCC (Multicultural Business and Community Champion) in 2023.
Honorary doctorate
In July 2023, Leigh-Anne was awarded an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. Leigh-Anne was surprised by a group of dance and performance students at the university, who performed a dance flash mob to her solo single 'Don't Say Love'.
Leigh-Anne said: "Growing up, I must have walked past BNU's High Wycombe campus a million times, curious about what was being studied and taught there. But in all that time I never imagined I'd be stood here today with an honorary doctorate in the arts.
"It's such a privilege to be recognised by such a credible, creative and supportive university, so I am extremely happy and proud to be here today."
Has she left Little Mix?
Nope! Leigh-Anne has not left Little Mix, she is still very much a member, however the band are on a hiatus. Following the departure of Jesy Nelson in December 2020, Little Mix announced they would be taking a break to pursue solo projects in 2022, following the conclusion of their rescheduled 'Confetti' tour in April and May 2022.
Who is she married to?
Since 2016, Leigh-Anne has been dating Premier League footballer Andre Gray, and now they're married! The pair confirmed their relationship just days before the New Year started in 2016. Leigh-Anne and Andre aren't shy about their romance on social media, with both posting some adorable snaps on their accounts - true love!
Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Andre Gray became engaged in May 2020 on their fourth anniversary. Taking to Instagram, Andre wrote: 'Let the caption speak for itself this time. ❤️💍 Hasta la muerte,' which roughly translates to 'until death'. Aww!
Rumours that Andre had popped the question to Leigh-Anne had been circulating since as early as November 2018, when a video emerged of Leigh-Anne and Andre's house warming party with both of their families in attendance.
Leigh-Anne and Andre tied the knot in June 2023. The wedding took place in Jamaica, and she confirmed the lovely news in a newsletter. The singer wrote: 'So much has happened since we last caught up. First of all… I’m a married woman! Eeeek!
'Andre and I had the most incredible wedding surrounded by love in a place that’s so special to both of us. Thank you all for showing us so much love & support.'
Leigh-Anne later told us all about her wedding. She revealed her first dance with Andre was dvsn's 'The Line', and she walked down the aisle to Jahméne from The X Factor. Sounds amazing!
In July that year, Leigh-Anne shared some stunning photos from her special day on her Instagram page, offering fans a glimpse of her wedding.
While out promoting her debut solo single, 'Don't Say Love', Leigh-Anne wasn't afraid to show off her new ring, alongside her emerald engagement ring which is believed to cost £40,000.
Does she have children?
Yes, she has twins! Leigh-Anne announced her pregnancy with fiancé Andre Gray in May 2021. The couple revealed they were expecting their first child in a STUNNING photoshoot posted to Instagram. She wrote: 'We've dreamed about this moment for so long and we can't believe the dream is finally coming true... we can't wait to meet you. ❤️😍.'
Leigh-Anne later announced on 23rd August that she had given birth to TWINS on 16th August 2021! The singer took to her Instagram to share an adorable photo of four small feet, writing: 'We asked for a miracle, we were given two... 🥺🖤 Our Cubbies are here 😍🖤16/08/21 🖤'.
The exciting news came just one day after her band mate Perrie Edwards announced the birth of her first child.
Speaking to Hits Radio in October 2025, Leigh-Anne opened up about raising her two daughters. The singer explained: "They're so confident and fearless. If anything, they're like teaching me, I'm like, I need to be more like you. Like they inspire me, but yeah, I just want them to hold on to that for as long as possible.
"So whatever I can do to keep them, I guess, I don't know, like when you're so young and you're confident, it's like it's these outside factors that can like damage that and like they don't have that right now. They're just kids."
What did she do before Little Mix?
Before becoming a global superstar, Leigh-Anne worked as a waitress in Pizza Hut.
Black Lives Matter
After attending the Black Lives Matter protests following the tragic death of American man George Floyd, Leigh-Anne bravely spoke about how racism has affected her time in girl band Little Mix, admitting she feels like she has to work '10 times harder' than the other girls.
Uploading a five-minute video of herself candidly speaking, Leigh-Anne recalled, in a now-deleted video, the moment she was told by choreographer Frank Gatson during the 'Wings' video shoot that she would have to 'work 10 times harder' because of the colour of her skin.
Leigh-Anne and bandmate Jade Thirlwall won an Ethnicity Award in 2020. On receiving the award, Leigh-Anne said: "I just want to say a massive thank you for voting for me to win the equality award with Jade, which is absolutely amazing.
"I feel so overwhelmed and grateful to have received an award like this, I will continue to use my platform to continue speaking out about race and fighting the fight. I really feel like there’s so many people out there who are working towards change and fighting this fight and not necessarily being projected on social media and the news, so this award is for them."
The Black Fund
Leigh-Anne is a co-founder and trustee of The Black Fund alongside her husband Andre Gray and sister Sairah Pinnock.
Launched in 2021, their mission statement sees them 'Investing In Equality', and the website says: 'We envision The Black Fund becoming a name people trust - especially for young people - to offer opportunities, access, work and experience in fields they’re interested in, with a focus on the creative industry.'
Does she have a twin sister?
She doesn't have a twin, but Leigh-Anne's older sister Sairah Pinnock looks very much like her!
Follow her on social media
You can follow Leigh-Anne on Instagram at: leighannepinnock. Leigh-Anne's X account is @leighannemusic, if you want to follow Little Mix you can on: @LittleMix
You can hear Little Mix's biggest songs on Tay FM.
Take a look at Leigh-Anne's career highlights 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.
Read more:
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9 incredible facts about Little Mix's former member Jesy Nelson ✨
10 fascinating facts about Little Mix Queen Perrie Edwards 👑