Jade Thirwall gets emotional as she hears debut single on the radio for first time
'Angel Of My Dreams' is out now
Fans have been made to wait, but it's safe to say Jade Thirlwall's debut solo single was most certainly worth the wait, as 'Angel Of My Dreams' is a certified banger!
To celebrate the release of the epic new single, former Little Mix singer Jade joined Sam Thompson for a chat on The Hits Radio Evening Show, where she couldn't hold back her tears after hearing the track on the radio for the first time.
Making Sam well up as well, Jade said: "I’m welling up! I’m being pathetic but it’s such a big deal for me – you’re a Leo you get it! I feel a bit out of my body at the minutes it’s a bit strange, I’ve waited for this moment for a very long time. Being in Little Mix was so special and I loved it so much, so coming out of that was a big deal for me and then writing this music was so special to me. This song, for me, is the perfect launch of my solo music and who I am on my own, so for it to be well received is just great.’
Revealing 'Angel Of My Dreams' has been a year in the making, the South Shields born singer added: "I wrote it about a year ago and this song is about my love/hate relationship with the music industry. I wanted to not play it safe with this first song, it’s a very chaotic, hyper pop song, and I wanted it to feel like my own experience within the industry.
"From that moment on The X Factor - that winner’s moment with a montage - and then you get catapulted into the industry and that’s where the beat drops in the song. It’s almost like a musical - there’s three acts! And there’s a sample in there of 'Puppet on a String' which I’ve always tried to sample."
With Jade showing her full support for both Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock as they launched their solo careers earlier this year, it sounds like the girls are repaying the favour.
When Sam asked her whether she’d shared the track yet with her former Little Mix band members, she gushed: "Yes! I actually went to Leigh’s house and played a few of the songs and I was really nervous because I really want them to like it! We’re really big supporters of each other and I’m sure they’re loving it so that’s good."
Take a look through Jade Thirlwall's career through the years:
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'
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!
After teasing her debut single for months, Jade took to Instagram on Friday 19th July to express her pride in the track.
She told her followers: 'Angel Of My Dreams is officially out in the world and I don’t know whether to cry or laugh or s--t myself 😂 This song means everything to me - my love/hate letter to the music industry, telling my story from the beginning of my journey to now. It’s the perfect introduction and launch into my world as a solo artist so buckle the f--k up lolllll
'@mikesabath @r.i.pablo @iamstephjones I can’t explain how grateful I am to have been able to create this magic with you 🥹♥️ What a dream team ☁️ thank you for allowing our creative brains to merge and go wild. I’m proud of us for throwing the pop rule book out the window 🪟💥
'Thank you to my whole team, from the start of my solo project to now - your unwavering belief in this and willingness to support me doing whatever I wanted gave me the creative freedom I needed to become JADE ‼️💅🏽✨'. (sic)
You can hear Jade's single 'Angel Of My Dreams' on Hits Radio now.
How can I listen to Sam Thompson on Hits Radio?
You can listen to The Hits Radio Evening Show with Sam Thompson every Monday-Thursday from 7pm.
Now read:
Jade Thirlwall drops debut solo track 'Angel Of My Dreams' and it's amazing
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