At this year's Women In Music Awards, we celebrated the achievements of game-changing executives and artists as the industry came together to honour their work. Music Week has spoken to the winners in all 14 categories to tell their stories. Here, Jade, winner of our inaugural Artist Impact award, discusses her solo career, campaign work and big plans for the future…
“I am brazenly honest,” says Jade Thirlwall, with the air of a person laying down a simple fact. She kicks off the conversation by admitting that, due to jet lag, “I’ve just woken up, really not that long ago. So I might be chatting shit and you’ll have to let me know”.
She’s also candid and upfront about what she believes in, having spoken out against genocide, welfare cuts and Reform policies, and transphobia. Indeed, she’s a staunch LGBTQ+ ally in general and an ambassador for Stonewall. During the Black Lives Matter protests, meanwhile, Jade did far more than post a black square on her Instagram: she was on the streets with a Covid mask and a placard, shoulder to shoulder with the other protesters.
Her solo debut, That’s Showbiz Baby! – which recorded the biggest opening week sales for a debut album in 2025 – showed a similarly defiant spirit. Using a wide pop palette, Thirlwall skewered the world of celebrity and turned a lens on the music industry’s more controlling aspects.
“I set out to do my own music and my own campaign and I really just wanted to make music that I absolutely loved,” she says. “And, without wanting to sound cheesy, to stay true to myself. It was about telling my story and piping up along the way, as and when I felt like I needed to.”
Her truth, her honesty and her willingness to try and shift the needle are all reasons that Jade is the very first winner of the Women In Music Impact Award.
“To be recognised for my impact makes me feel like I’m on the right track,” says Thirlwall. “It’s a beautiful way to round off my first album campaign.”
But she sometimes wonders why her actions are considered worthy of praise. “It can be a bit confusing. I get given awards for impact or allyship and I think that half of it is just not being a dick, which is actually really easy.”
She starts to laugh. “It is quite easy just not to be a prick about things.”
Jade, we couldn’t agree more.
Congratulations on your win. What are your thoughts on the Women In Music Awards? Are they still necessary in today’s industry?
“I think they’re incredibly necessary, but right now even more so than they might have been a few years ago. As we see over and over again, in our industry and in wider society, the pendulum swings back and forth and, unfortunately, right now, we’re seeing it swing the wrong way. There's a weird, unnerving energy in the air right now. What we're seeing – whether that’s what's going on with the manosphere and toxic masculinity, or whether that's politically – I think all these societal issues become reflected in the arts. It’s amazing that the way women are treated has become a big topic of discussion, and that music and art have helped to shine a light on that, but there’s still quite some way to go. I’ve seen a lot of positive change in the music industry since I was 18.”
What are those changes?
“There was quite a lot of normalised misogyny and a lack of women in leadership roles. One of my label heads [Stacey Tang, RCA co-president] is a woman. That’s amazing, she’s amazing. I do try my best to surround myself with a lot of female members on my team; my management are female. But I do have to be conscious of it. It's not a given, whereas I think it's always a given that there will usually be men in these roles. I work really closely with a female vocal engineer and I'm always really adamant that I want her in the room. We have to try to push that agenda more and normalise that there are women in the music industry, not just as pop stars, but behind the scenes, in the studio, in the boardroom.”
You were also at the Music Week Awards back in May, presenting The Strat to Jason Iley.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Jason and not just because he’s the head of Sony! He has been super supportive throughout this whole journey. He was determined to sign me as an artist on my own. When I was doing the rounds with all the labels, they all give the same spiel, right? So when you sign with someone, you're looking for the team that seems genuinely interested and wants to make sure that you have creative freedom and not just throw money at it. Jason was always the front runner for that. We do stay in touch a lot. It's not a case of, like, Charlie's Angels, where you just never see or hear from them. When it came to present him with the award… I actually get really nervous doing public speaking. I can sing. That's fine. But when it comes to doing a speech, I get so nervous. So for me to agree tells you a lot about how much I actually did want to do it.”
What are the main ways you’ve made an impact as an artist?
“Coming out as a solo artist, it was really important to come out swinging with a message. Telling my story and knowing that it was probably going to be a little bit controversial. But for me, that was a liberating experience. I’ve been in music from a very young age, having to navigate all the good stuff and the bad stuff. I wanted to free myself of feeling restricted by what I could and couldn't say about the industry. And my way of doing that was through my music and visuals. I just can't stay quiet about things, especially if I see any injustices. I really do personally believe music goes hand in hand with the times and politics, and what's going on in the world. For women in pop, there's an expectation that you will get on stage and wear the glamorous, gorgeous costumes and do your music and then get off. It's quite political, almost a form of protest, for women in pop to also be very vocal or opinionated, whether we're deemed as bossy or nagging or too much. It’s not even about making an impact, it’s about doing the right thing.”
That’s Showbiz Baby! has been out for just over a year. What are your reflections on the album?
“I thought about this yesterday. I was tidying up my little merch cupboard where I put all my bits and bobs. And I was just like, ‘Oh, okay, that happened.’ It's been such a whirlwind year. I do feel an overwhelming sense of pride. When I set out to do the record, I didn't realise how brave I was actually being… I had to grow up in an industry that is rather unforgiving, quite savage, and you're not expected to have longevity, especially when you come out of a show like The X Factor. Coming out on my own was really fucking scary. It felt really vulnerable. My thought process was: I either come out with something that's super safe or I decide to do something that's going to punch everyone in the face. I'm really proud of myself for making that choice and sticking to it.
“I'm also really reflective of the whole year. I started with a record mainly focused on the music industry and how I know the game now. It was giving people an insight into how addictive it can be to seek relevance and validation. And then once the record came out, I've got to be honest, I literally fell straight back into that trap. I thought I was so much more healed and over numbers and pleasing people, and not looking online. And before I knew it, I just got sucked back into this vortex of all of the shenanigans involved in showbiz, which I thought was quite ironic. I had to sort of pull myself back out of that headspace and really do a lot more work on myself, and gain another perspective on what success truly is. Because ultimately, I made a record I really love and that is so intrinsically me. That’s success.”
I just can't stay quiet about things, especially if I see any injustices. I really do personally believe music goes hand in hand with the times and politics, and what's going on in the world
Jade
The album charted well and you won a BRIT award. Do you feel that you’ve been embraced as a solo artist?
“I do feel like I have, which is incredible. I’ll always be associated with Little Mix and I’m cool with that because I’m so proud of what we achieved together. But when I’ve been doing shows, not just in the UK but around the world, there are people who don’t realise and I’m just Jade to them. It’s cool I’ve managed to pave my own way. And when the awards nominations came in, or the critics’ end-of-year lists, and That’s Showbiz Baby! was up there, then it confirms that. I don’t seek that kind of validation, but I appreciate the recognition.”
As an activist, what was it that made you want to start speaking out?
“I get it from my mum. Growing up as a brown woman in a predominantly white area, my mum has had to be incredibly strong and outspoken and that has filtered down to me. When you grow up feeling othered, feeling like a minority, then you understand what it feels like and you know how much you would have loved for someone to have your back, to speak as an ally. If it happens as a child, it never leaves you. So I can’t sit back and watch someone be targeted. It doesn’t matter if that’s for being in the LGBTQ+ community or in Palestine. There's no hiding what's going on at the minute, right? In terms of allyship with the LGBTQ community, for example… When I moved to London, it was that community that took me in and made me feel so loved and accepted and literally made me the woman and the artist I am today. I can't benefit from that and not be an ally through and through.”
When can we expect some new music?
“I have been writing in between every festival and show this summer, and I’m heading back to LA next month to continue working on that. I would love to get music out next year. The label has been lovely and not rushing me – the push is coming from my end. I'm really keen to tell more stories through my music. It's been a really busy and tough year for me, professionally and personally, so I've got lots to write about again.”
Would there ever be a Little Mix reunion?
“Absolutely. I don't know when, but I would love to. Right now I'm having so much fun creatively, and showing the world who I am. But I want as much longevity as possible – I want to be doing this until the day I die, and that might include doing stuff with the girls. What we had was so special, and we have to do it again. I keep seeing a lot of stuff on TikTok of people replaying our music and being like, ‘Oh my God, we miss them!’ How incredible to be able to say we've done that. I don't think it should be over.”
What else does the future hold for Jade?
“One of my dreams is to do a world tour. I would love that more than anything. I did a mini one this year, but there's still so much of the world I've not not seen or done shows in, like South America or Southeast Asia. I love to travel – it’s my favourite thing – and I love to perform. Wherever I am, I always make sure to go wandering and exploring, and really experience the local culture. Even now, at 33, I am still gagged that I even get to have this as my job – I think it's important to always remind myself of that. I've done a lot of therapy and work on myself the last year, including EMDR. A lot of it is about healing your younger self and bringing them with you. It's changed a lot for me, in the most incredible way. Every time I go on stage now, I close my eyes and I envision my younger self standing with me – and she's just absolutely buzzing that we've managed to do it. I owe it to the younger version of myself to be all of the things that she needed to see: making amazing music, speaking up, being brave, doing the right thing, standing up as an ally and making as much of an impact as possible.”
PHOTOS: Louise Haywood-Schiefer/Panni Renner
