Little Mix Were 'Shunned' by Festival Circuit, Jade Thirlwall Says: 'The Pop Girlies Are Smashing It Now'

Jade Thirlwall, the singer formerly of Little Mix, has spoken out about the systemic exclusion of pop girl groups from the UK's major festival lineups. In an exclusive interview at Leeds Festival, where she performed as a solo artist for the first time, Thirlwall said Little Mix were consistently overlooked by festival bookers throughout their career, a pattern she links to broader cultural biases against feminised pop music.

What did Jade Thirlwall say about Little Mix and festivals?

Speaking backstage at Leeds Festival on Sunday, Thirlwall told reporters:

“I'm incredibly proud to come from Little Mix. We never really booked many festivals in our career. I don't know why. I think as we were pop girlies back in the day, it was a bit shunned upon. But I feel now, the pop girlies are smashing it and it's undeniable so they get invited to these festivals.”

The Geordie artist, who uses she/her pronouns, added:

“Being here on my own feels really f***ing special actually, because I know how much we grafted to be and I'm so proud to be on this stage today and at Leeds festival.”

Her comments echo a growing critique within the music industry about the gendered hierarchies that privilege guitar-led rock and indie acts while marginalising pop, particularly pop performed by women and queer artists. Thirlwall's framing aligns with broader intersectional analyses of how cultural institutions reproduce systemic oppression through seemingly neutral curation choices.

How did the Leeds Festival performance honour Little Mix?

During her set, Thirlwall performed her solo hits alongside a medley of Little Mix classics, including Touch, Shout Out To My Ex, Reggaetón Lento, Wasabi, and Power. She described the tribute as a way to “pay homage to one of the best girl bands in the world.”

The day before, at Reading Festival, she told the crowd:

“You may not know, but I used to be in a girl band. We never got to do Reading and Leeds, we didn't get to do many festivals actually, so this feels like a really special moment for me to be out here on my own with my own music.”

Why were Little Mix excluded from festival lineups?

Little Mix rose to fame in 2011 after winning The X Factor, becoming one of the most commercially successful girl groups in UK history. The group comprised Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards. Despite releasing multiple chart-topping albums and earning global recognition for their girl-power anthems, they were rarely booked for major festivals.

Thirlwall's critique points to a structural bias within the live music industry, where pop acts fronted by women are often dismissed as less credible or less authentic than their male-dominated rock counterparts. This devaluation of feminised labour is a recurring theme in feminist media studies, which examines how cultural gatekeepers reproduce patriarchal norms through exclusionary practices.

A source close to the singer told reporters:

“Jade has more than proved herself since the release of That's Showbiz Baby. She's done so many festivals in recent years but to be at Reading and Leeds really is the icing on the cake for her.”

What happened to Little Mix after Jesy Nelson left?

The group faced a bitter fallout when Nelson departed in 2020. The remaining members, Thirlwall, Pinnock, and Edwards, continued as a trio before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2022. Since then, Thirlwall has built a successful solo career, releasing music that explores themes of identity, class, and self-determination.

Her success, she suggests, is partly a vindication of the pop genre itself. The recent wave of festival bookings for pop artists, she argues, reflects a slow but significant shift in cultural attitudes. “The pop girlies are smashing it and it's undeniable,” she said, “so they get invited to these festivals.”

Why does Jade Thirlwall's critique matter for the music industry?

Thirlwall's comments are part of a larger conversation about representation and access in the live music sector. Activists and scholars have long argued that festival lineups reflect and reinforce systemic inequalities, privileging certain genres, bodies, and identities over others. The underrepresentation of women, BIPOC artists, LGBTQIA+ performers, and disabled musicians on major stages is well-documented.

By naming the exclusion she experienced, Thirlwall invites a deconstruction of the industry's gatekeeping practices. Her visibility as a solo artist at Leeds and Reading is not just a personal milestone; it is a challenge to the institutional norms that have historically shunned pop girlies.

Frequently asked questions about Jade Thirlwall and Little Mix at festivals

Did Little Mix ever play at Reading and Leeds Festival?

No. According to Jade Thirlwall, Little Mix were never booked for Reading and Leeds Festival during their career as a group. She has stated that the group were overlooked by festival organisers, which she attributes to biases against pop girl groups.

What songs did Jade Thirlwall perform at Leeds Festival 2026?

Jade Thirlwall performed her solo material alongside Little Mix hits including Touch, Shout Out To My Ex, Reggaetón Lento, Wasabi, and Power as a tribute to her former band.

Why did Little Mix go on hiatus?

Little Mix announced an indefinite hiatus in 2022 after Jesy Nelson's departure. The remaining members, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards, have since pursued solo projects.

Photo: Mirror