Jade Thirlwall said there will be a Little Mix reunion "if it’s the last thing I do" as she celebrates the release of her debut solo album and growing success as a solo artist.
Thirlwall, 32, whose solo single "Angel of My Dreams" helped launch her independent career, released the album That's Showbiz Baby this week and said the group will return regardless of how long it takes. "You know it doesn’t matter how long that takes," she told Capital Buzz.
The album release comes ahead of Thirlwall's first solo tour, scheduled to begin in October across the United Kingdom and Ireland. She said the record "has been years in the making" and described performing the material live later this year as a "dream come true." Her solo singles have reached the Top 10 and she won Best Pop Act at the 2025 Brit Awards.
On Thursday, Thirlwall staged a surprise performance at the Angel of the North in Newcastle to mark the album release. Organisers announced the low-key event only hours before it began and more than 1,000 fans travelled to see her play five songs from inside a converted metal food truck. With limited public transport to the site, some fans parked their cars near a slip road off a busy dual carriageway, prompting calls to police to manage traffic disruption; photographs from the event show police vehicles in attendance.
Thirlwall performed in a Newcastle United jersey and was joined in the crowd by her mother, Norma. Despite the disruption, observers said fans responded enthusiastically to the set. The singer's solo work, including tracks such as "Midnight Cowboy," "Fantasy" and "Plastic Box," has amassed a combined 215 million streams, according to figures cited by her team.
Little Mix formed after competing on The X Factor in 2011 and became one of the United Kingdom's most successful girl groups. Jesy Nelson left the group in 2020 and the band announced a hiatus in 2022. Members Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Thirlwall have since pursued separate projects, with Thirlwall moving into a solo recording and touring schedule.
Thirlwall has also spoken publicly about her personal health struggles. In an interview with The Guardian, she said she has a "daily battle" not to use the weight-loss drug Ozempic because of a history of eating disorders, adding that she does not judge others who use such treatments but is cautious about the potential risks for herself.
Her comments on a reunion follow periodic public interest in a full group return. Thirlwall's statement indicates she intends to press for a reunion even as she builds her solo career. The singer's forthcoming tour will provide her with the first extended opportunity to perform her solo material to audiences across the UK and Ireland.
Representatives for Thirlwall did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.