Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall has finally unleashed her debut single ‘Angel of My Dreams', and it's totally bonkers in the best way.
The singer is the last of the Little Mix members to release solo music and for the past two and a half years she's been hard at work in the studio. ‘Angel of My Dreams' is an exploration of the dark side of fame and it was written by Thirlwall, Steph Jones, Mike Sabath, Pablo Bowman, Bill Martin and Phil Coulter.
Produced by Mike Sabbath, the song is a balls-to-the-wall pop number that incorporates a huge beat drop, elements of dance music and plenty of pop. It's not a million miles away from some of Little Mix's more out-there songs and it sets out a strong start to the singer's solo career.
The accompanying video was directed by Aube Perrie and it features Thirlwall in a series of guises showing the uglier side of fame. The video opens out with the singer as a street performer before the other Jades get a taste of wealth and fame. It skewers the entertainment industry and features clips of her time on ‘The X-Factor'.
Signed to RCA Records, Thirlwall has plenty of pressure on her shoulders to be the breakout star of Little Mix. To date none of the other girls have set the charts on fire with their solo music. Jesy Nelson, who left the band before they went on hiatus, peaked at number 4 with her debut solo single ‘Boyz' featuring Nicki Minaj but her career was derailed by claims of blackfishing. She ultimately parted ways with her label and her follow-up single ‘Bad Thing' failed to chart in the Top 40.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock was next with her debut single “Don't Say Love“, which narrowly missed out on the Top 10 peaking at number 11. Follow-up ‘My Love' featuring Ayra Starr only reached 28 and her album release has yet to be announced. An EP, ‘No Hard Feelings‘ was released earlier this year.
Perrie Edwards released her Ed Sheeran co-penned debut ‘Forget About Us' in April and it landed at number 10. Follow-up single ‘Tears' has so far only reached 69 and tabloid rumours suggest that she, as well as Leigh-Anne, are in danger of losing their deals.
It's unusual for the last member of a group to go solo to be the success story but with ‘Angel of My Dreams' already surrounded by plenty of buzz, and sitting at the top of the iTunes chart, Jade could well end up being the Harry Styles of the group.
