Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall has opened up about the band’s abrupt decision to split from Simon Cowell’s record label Syco in November 2018, admitting the decision “f****d us over”.
The “Woman Like Me” hitmakers were just days away from releasing their fifth studio album LM5 when they switched over to RCA, another label under the Sony Music umbrella.
Now 16 months later, Thirlwall admits the move was chaotic as it took place during the middle of their album release.
When asked about the lack of female empowerment in the music videos from that era, the 27-year-old singer told Popline: “We did a little bit but we had a switch of labels during the LM5 process and that really f***ed us over.
“It was harder to put all our creativity out there in the way we would have liked. The LM5 album was very heavily on women’s rights and our experiences in the industry.”
But Thirlwall added that the group are “in a good place” and excited to be working on their sixth studio album.
“We’ve learnt to really stick to our guns and do what we believe in,” she states.
Her bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock added: “We’re definitely back on track with everything. We’ve got a new album and a new single coming.
“It’s so exciting. We’ve actually done quite a lot of the album already. It’s one of our favourites.”
After the split occurred, a Syco spokeswoman said: “Syco Music will no longer work with Modest Management and therefore any artists signed to that management company.
“We do, of course, wish all artists affected by this decision every future success. Consequently, LM5, the forthcoming Little Mix album A&R’d and released on Syco Music, is to be serviced by RCA at the request of Syco and Simon Cowell.”
Cowell remained a supporter of the group, inviting them to play at the 2018 X Factor final.
