Little Mix Won’t Break Up Because They “Literally Can’t Live Without Each Other”
If there’s anyone who knows how to absolutely slay after a rough break up, it’s the ladies of powerhouse girl group Little Mix.
The Shout Out To My Ex singers have created the ultimate girl power break up anthem and mastered the art of “getting over that asshole ex.”
As savage as some of the lyrics are in the song, the girls stay true to remaining classy and preach a message of success being the best revenge.
Despite their enormous success, the girls are incredibly sweet, humble and true to themselves. As they embark on the Dangerous Woman tour with Ariana Grande, I sat down with Jesy and Leigh-Anne to talk about all things ex related, girl-empowered friendships, and what it feels like to gain the title of the number one reigning album in the U.K.
Glory Days broke the record of the number one longest running album by a girl group in the U.K., which was previously held by the Spice Girls. How did you react when you found that out?
JESY: We literally just couldn’t believe it, like we’ve waited for a number one album for five years and so the fact that we’ve got it for five weeks is just crazy. And I think we feel really happy that we got number one with this album because this is the one I think that we’re most proud of. We love all of our albums, but this one I feel like we spoke about a lot of the experiences we’ve gone through in the past five years and it’s a very honest album. So yeah, we’re just really, really happy.
Your success has skyrocketed over the past few years. What do you think sets you a part from other girl groups, past or present?
LEIGH-ANNE: I think what sets us apart is the fact that we’re all very different and we’re all very individual and we have very different voices, different tones, but it just works and comes together so well. We’re completely best friends, like we just get on which is amazing. I just think if we didn’t get on it just wouldn’t work and we would be together for five years. We’ve all got this same idea of what we want to be.
Writing about an ex can be very personal, at what point did you realize that you wanted to write and release Shout Out To My Ex?
LEIGH-ANNE: When we wrote Shout Out To My Ex, I think it was pretty much instant, like we just knew that was going to be our first single. It’s just an anthem and it’s helped so many people around the world, boys or girls, and just whatever they’re going through at the time with their relationships and just getting over that asshole ex really. So we just knew that it had to be the first one.
Do you have any crazy stories of things you’ve done to get back at an ex?
LEIGH-ANNE: I think we all think that success is the best revenge, we try to be as classy as possible I think. At the end of the day like for them to see that we’re getting over it and successful, that’s the best type of revenge.
What type of music is on your breakup playlist?
LEIGH-ANNE: I think for me in particular, I like to feel sad, you get what I mean? I like slow jams. I like to cry about it and get that all out. And then, to be honest, I think the reason we did Shout Out To My Ex was because we felt there are enough breakup songs that make you feel bitter about the situation, they’re all sort of like to make you feel sad and like sort of whither in it. But we wanted to make a song where everybody could feel powerful and know that they can get over it and that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
You spend a lot of time together on the road. How do you avoid getting on each other’s nerves? What is the key to maintaining such great friendships when you’re spending that much time together?
JESY: Weirdly enough, we literally don’t have fights, as much as people don’t believe us. We just have fun, we literally feel so lucky to be on this experience together and be on this journey, what would be the point in fighting? Like we literally just have so much fun and I think we get through it by laughing everyday. We are genuinely like the best of friends and it would be rubbish if we just argued everyday, what is the point?
You guys have been together for five years now and it’s clear that you have a great relationship. However, girl groups have a history of breaking up. Do you ever worry that something like what happened recently with Fifth Harmony could happen to you?
JESY: No, definitely not, and I think to be honest when we decide that time’s going to come it will be an amicable thing. God knows when it’s going to happen because we literally can’t live without each other. We can’t even bloody do an interview, we have to sit next to each other in interviews and then they want to split us up in interviews and do like two chairs behind and two chairs in front and we’re like “Ah!” I think when that time comes it will be when we’re a lot older and we all feel that the time is right. I don’t think anyone will ever be like “Alright, I’m going solo.” You know, each to their own.
Lastly, where do you draw all of your strength from?
LEIGH-ANNE: I think within each other. We’re so encouraging of each other and we push each other to the best that we can. I definitely say the other girls give me that power. And being a woman as well is empowering in itself.
Photography and Interview by Keri Dolan