Jade Thirlwall seemingly referenced the end of her relationship with Jordan Stephens as she performed "Shout Out To My Ex" at the Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago.
Last month, reports emerged that the singer, 33, had split from the Rizzle Kicks star, 34, after six years together. Thirlwall's choice to cover the song from her Little Mix heyday was met with enthusiastic reactions from fans, who interpreted it as a direct nod to her new single status.
The crowd roared as she sang the lyrics, "Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man, You made my heart break and that made me who I am." She continued, "Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I, I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never bring me down."
A festivalgoer shared a clip of the performance on Instagram, with commenters noting the song choice's significance and calling it "iconic." Others praised her set, with one user writing, "Oh Jade! My queen! What a move."
Meanwhile, Jordan Stephens addressed his personal life on his podcast "Miss Me?" with Miquita Oliver. Stephens, who has never been in a high-profile relationship before, described relationships as "complex and difficult" and hinted that "more will come out." He expressed discomfort with the public nature of his relationships and the rapid rise of speculation.
"I've never experienced, I've never been in a high profile relationship really so I think I'm very conflicted because I definitely pride myself on being open and transparent and I like to pull apart experiences of my own in the hope that it can create insight or like create conversation," Stephens said. "But I think this is a difficult one because if I'm to believe how quickly speculation can arise."
He indicated that he would discuss the matter further once things have settled, stating, "I'm definitely going to talk and write I think once things have settled a little bit. Obviously I'm not going to avoid something that's quite obvious that's been a thing. I don't want to like pretend like that isn't happening or hasn't happened but I also want to make it clear that it's so bizarre."
Stephens emphasized his desire to protect people and avoid getting into specifics at this time. He acknowledged the kindness of fans' comments and noted that while he has not fully processed the situation, "people are kind." He added, "In truth things go up and down and in and out all the time."
Thirlwall had previously alluded to personal difficulties in an interview last month, sharing that she was "going through something privately" and channeling her experiences into her upcoming second album.
The couple reportedly lived together and divided their time between London and Margate, but are said to have separated earlier this year. Both have since removed traces of each other from their respective Instagram accounts.