Little Mix, the UK’s biggest girl group, went retro this week as they treated their fans to an old school album signing at HMV Oxford Street. Despite the pouring rain, hundreds of fans waited for a moment with their idols, chanting their biggest hits as they clutched CDs, along with flowers and notes for the X-factor alums.
In 2011, the foursome made history on the show as the first group to win the competition. Despite the horrible history of groups on the program (even 1D couldn’t win it), the girls defied the odds, their girls next door personality winning fans over each week. As they released their first single post X-Factor, the ladies kept their supporters in mind, releasing a song called ‘Wings’ that was meant to inspire fans to ignore negativity. The lyrics stirred by the doubt and negativity the group received while on X-Factor.
LM5, the band’s fifth studio album, carries on supporting their fan base and speaking out against the negativity the girls have endured over the past six years. Despite their old-fashioned CD signing in a world of streaming services and online meet and greets, the content of the album touches upon issues relevant in today’s society.
“It was really, really important for us to write about things that are important to us: female empowerment, believing in yourself, body image and just thinking your fabulous as you are,” Jade Thirwall told the audience during their Live Apple Event last week. An event where ‘Strip’ was performed for the first time, the single meant to be ‘Wings’ mature sibling, as it was visualised by a music video that had the four girls naked, with insults they’ve been told through the years scribbled over their bodies. This initiated its owned trend, #stripwithlittlemix, where fans shared messages of loving insecurities and the journey to self-confidence.
Pic: Grace Daher
The music video, produced in partnership with YouTube Music, was a part of a bigger campaign. Prior to its release, they chose to use the source of a lot of insecurity, social media, to shed a light on great women. Speaking to their ten million plus followers, using their song name as a hashtag, they asked fans to share pictures and words about women that inspire them. And then, they began posting about incredible women and the fights they take on. Women who are all featured in the video.
Despite the generally positive review of the message, from Jacqueline Gold (CEO of Ann Summers) to the fans’ online campaign, Piers Morgan spoke against Little Mix, accusing them of “using nudity to sell their album.” A battle that has escalated as he continues to drag them on his twitter and Good Morning Britain. Celebrities from Ariane Grande to Lauren Jauregui (formerly of Fifth Harmony, yet another girl band) have spoken against the backlash, in support of their fellow female artists.
Yesterday, the girls finally responded, on Twitter, by replying to Ariana’s tweet, “We felt liberated owning the negative words thrown at us as women. We’ll never stop talking/writing music about issues that affect so many women around the world. We have a voice to use it!”
From “Don’t let what they say, keep you up at night” in 2012 to “rub off all your words, don’t give a uh I’m over it” in 2018, Little Mix remains vocal in sharing their negative feedback as a means to inspire their fans. As Perrie Edwards said, “we want to use our platforms for everyone to feel better about themselves.”