Well, 19th August 2011 was the day the lives of Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson and Jade Thirlwall changed forever, as that was the day that Rythmix, later changed to the name we all know and love, Little Mix, was created.
Of course, we actually saw this moment happen in September, as that is when bootcamp was aired on the TV. (sorry to ruin the magic everyone!). However, because of 19th August being the actual day when Little Mix was formed, this is officially the date of their 10th anniversary.
Like Little Mix's male counterpart, in terms of most successful band this decade, One Direction, Little Mix all auditioned on their own. Perrie auditioned with You Oughta Know, by Alanis Morissette, Leigh-anne auditioned with Rihanna's Only Girl in the World, Jade sang I Wanna Hold your Hand, and Jesy sang Bust Your Windows by Jazmine Sullivan. All got through to bootcamp.
Of course, as it always happens with bootcamp, solo artists get put into groups, the groups get told they have not proceeded to the next round and then you don't see the contestant again. However, there are other times where the judges notice potential and put people, who had originally not been put through to judges' houses, into a group and then put that group to judges' houses. In this case, this was Little Mix.
Of course, what usually happens with groups, particularly, unfortunately, girl groups in The X Factor. was that they would be voted off in the first week of the live shows but Little Mix defied the odds. Not only did they manage to get to the final, they made history by being the first group ever to win The X Factor (JLS had come close but they came second to Alexandra Burke).
Often, apart from the few, such as Alexandra Burke, James Arthur and Leona Lewis, those who win have one winner's single and then are never heard of again. Of course, this was not the case for Little Mix.
Little Mix's first single, Cannonball, like many of the other winners, went straight to number one on the UK charts. But that didn't stop Little Mix. Their first official single, Wings, went straight to number one and over the years, they have become really successful. They have achieved 18 top 10 hits, including 4 number ones (which included the number one they got as part of The X factor 2011 charity single), all of the studio albums, from DNA to Confetti entering the top 10, with Glory Days going to number one. They have also earned 3 BRIT Awards, which comprises of a history making BRIT Award from 2021: the first girl group to win Best Group, something that even the Spice Girls didn't do.
So, what does the future hold for Little Mix? Well, who knows. In late 2020, Jesy Nelson announced she was quitting the group for her mental health. Furthermore, Leigh anne and Perrie have since had babies so of course they are going to want some time off with their little ones before they get back to doing what they do best: entertaining their army of fans, known as Little Mixers (or simply Mixers). In the meantime, they have collaborated with Anne-Marie on the new single, Kiss My (Uh-Oh) and announced a new greatest hits album called Between Us. Furthermore, they are due to be heading on tour next year, in the support of the latest album, Confetti.
Based on the success they have had, and will hopefully continue to have, it looks like Little Mix are here to stay within the pop world. This is good, as we need popstars like Little Mix to continue to release joyful pop songs that you can't help but sing along to, particularly when we consider what a tough time that the last year and a half has been for people.
Anyway, here's to another 10 years Little Mix.
Em x
