English singer Perrie Edwards plans to get more personal in her upcoming solo work. Photo: Alex Kibble
For over 10 years, English singer Perrie Edwards poured her heart into Little Mix, conquering the charts and sharing the spotlight with her bandmates.
But when the popular girl group took a hiatus in 2022 and the moment arrived for her to go solo, it was naturally “very scary”.
“I had to step out of my comfort zone, which is not something I usually do.
“Being my own boss has been difficult. I had to be confident on my own and not depend on others to make decisions,” said the 31-year-old in this exclusive Zoom interview with StarLifestyle.
Edwards made her solo debut in April 2024 with the song 'Forget About Us'. Photo: Alex KibbleEdwards released her debut single Forget About Us earlier in April under Columbia Records.
To ensure her first solo stage at the Capital’s Summertime Ball at London’s Wembley Stadium in June didn’t feel daunting, she brought along a full ensemble of backup vocalists and dancers.
“I purposely made sure that when I started performing as a solo artiste, I had a full band, backup vocalists and dancers, so it didn’t feel like I was up there on my own.
“Two of my best friends are dancers. They have always been there whenever I needed them. I never felt like I was on my own,” said the singer.
A decade of sisterhood
Edwards’ musical journey began in 2011 when she auditioned for the British talent show The X Factor.
It was there that she was grouped with Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock to form Rhythmix – a quartet that would later rebrand as Little Mix and make history as the first band to win The X Factor UK.
Its remarkable journey didn’t end there.
In 2012, Little Mix dropped its first single Wings, which soared to No.1 on the UK Singles Chart. The band’s debut album DNA peaked at No.3 in Britain and No.4 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Over the years, Little Mix has been dubbed “one of the greatest girl groups of all time”, thanks to hits like Black Magic, Secret Love Song and Shout Out To My Ex, among others.
With over 60 million records sold globally, Little Mix is one of the best-selling girl groups in history and one of Britain’s top selling acts.
Its impressive accolades also include three Brit Awards, seven MTV Europe Music Awards, two Japanese Gold Disc Awards and three Guinness World Records.
In 2020, Nelson left the group due to mental health struggles.
The band pushed forward as a trio, closing its successful Confetti Tour in 2022 at the O2 Arena in London before going on hiatus.
Pinnock went on to launch her solo career in 2023, with Thirlwall and Edwards following suit this year.
Little Mix, which was formed in 2011, comprised (from left) Pinnock, Edwards, Nelson and Thirlwall. Photo: Little Mix/InstagramReflecting on her solo songwriting journey, Edwards admitted that she was initially insecure about pouring her emotions into her songs.
However, her confidence grew as she participated in more songwriting sessions.
“I’ve grown more confident with being on my own. I took that leap of faith (going solo) to see what would happen, and I’m really enjoying the process now,” she said.
Shout out to her loved ones
Though Edwards has spent over a decade in Little Mix, exploring her emotions through music was a new frontier. Thus, the Salute hitmaker is working on diving deeper into personal territory with her solo work.
Her sophomore single Tears, released in June, is a powerful anthem about leaving a difficult chapter behind and moving forward.
In her latest release You Go Your Way, Edwards sings about her fiance, English footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with whom she has been with for eight years.
The couple, who went public with their romance in 2017, welcomed a son named Axel in 2021, and got engaged in 2022.
You Go Your Way explores the early days of Edwards and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s relationship.
In 2016, while preparing to tour the United States with pop star Ariana Grande, Edwards suggested that they go their separate ways to avoid putting pressure on their budding romance.
The pair weren’t officially dating at the time.
“We fell in love but I was going on tour with Ariana Grande for three months in America.
“I told him that he could go his own way if he wanted and I’ll go mine, and if it’s meant to be, we’ll find each other again. He wasn’t happy with this idea and made our relationship official there and then,” she recalled.
Edwards added that You Go Your Way was made with lots of love and affection.
When asked how her fiance responded to the song upon its release last month, Edwards replied: “He absolutely loved it and thought it was really cool, fun and energetic.
“It’s a very feel-good, upbeat song, which is why I also love it so much.”
Aside from her husband-to-be, Edwards has also written a song about another special someone – her three-year-old son Axel, who will be featured in her upcoming album.
“I was writing a song about my baby boy in the studio, talking about how much I love him and how he’s made me a stronger person when he came in and started singing.
“We managed to catch his voice on the microphone, so he’s featured on the track now,” she shared.
Tragic loss
Before getting together with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Edwards dated former One Direction member Zayn Malik. The pair got engaged in 2013 after a year of dating but broke up in 2015.
On Oct 16, Malik’s ex-bandmate Liam Payne died at 31, after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In a podcast with English author and broadcaster Fearne Cotton, recorded just a day after Payne’s death, Edwards shared that her heart hurt for the singer’s family and friends.
“I didn’t think it was real when I read it, it’s in the air and everyone can feel it,” she said, adding that Little Mix shared a tight bond with the One Direction boys.
“Me and the Little Mix girls were messaging and Leigh-Anne just said it feels very close to home. It’s honestly so sad. It made my body feel so weird when I saw the headline.”
Getting up stronger
Edwards plans to open up more about her personal struggles in her solo work. She has written about a friendship she has lost and also her ongoing battle with anxiety.
Her biggest hurdle now is accepting the fact that she can’t please everyone.
“I always have to keep reminding myself that not everybody’s going to like me or my music, and it’s fine because the people who do like my music mean so much to me. I’m trying to drown out the negativity basically,” she told StarLifestyle.
On handling her anxiety, Edwards makes it a habit to share her feelings with her family and closest friends so she doesn’t feel isolated.
The Touch hitmaker also revealed that she has been going to therapy for seven years now.
She believes the journey to peace begins with finding the right therapist – a task she found to be extremely challenging.
Edwards explained that while she has learned a lot about her anxiety from past therapists, none of them have made a “massive impact” on her anxiety.
“This is why I’m grateful for my current therapist. She comes to work with me and applies the things that we have practised in real life.
“We do a lot of grounding exercises and whenever I have a panic attack, she’s there to coach me step by step, which I found to be really helpful,” she said.
Edwards is currently working on her debut album, which is expected to have 12 songs.
Although the release date remains unconfirmed for now, fans can look forward to an honest, emotionally rich project that dives into a range of feelings and experiences.
“I wanted my album to feel like it had ups and downs and all sorts of different emotions. I wanted it to take people on a journey – lifting them up, empowering them, then pulling at their heartstrings with a ballad, only to bring them back up with a happy song,” said Edwards.
The singer added that she’s aiming to release her songs as quickly as possible so she can start touring.
Moving forward, Edwards hopes for more success and happiness as a solo artiste.
“Nothing makes me happier than singing, and I want to keep doing it for the rest of my life. I won’t pressure myself... just do it for the love of music,” she concluded.
