Perrie Edwards has opened up about adapting to life as a solo artist after her remarkable success with Little Mix, admitting that she still feels nervous before going on stage. With a top ten debut solo single under her belt and a debut album set for release later this year, Edwards’ post-band career is heating up.
Despite her experience as a solo recording artist over the past year, writing and performing tracks without her former bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Jesy Nelson, Edwards admits to pre-show jitters. She even has a unique good luck ritual she performs before each show.
Speaking to The Dish from Waitrose podcast, Edwards shared, “I always have to put my left shoe on first. But zip up the right. Promise you, it’s bizarre. So, usually, I’d have boots on Little Mix tours. I’d put the left boot on first, then the right boot, but I’d zip the right, then the left. And if it goes wrong, and if someone like, is getting me dressed, and they do it, they’ll take it all off, start again. I don’t know, I’m very odd like that.”
This pre-stage routine seems to be working wonders. Last month, Edwards wowed fans with her powerful vocals and performance at the Capital FM Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium, looking stunning in a dazzling gold dress.
However, keeping fit while on tour proves challenging for the self-confessed foodie, who loves burgers. Edwards told The Dish from Waitrose podcast about her struggle to maintain a healthy diet on tour. “I’ll be like, I’m eating healthy, nobody talk to me, and then I’m like, Five Guys, what’s going on? I literally, I’m a foodie and I do try to eat healthy.”
Little Mix rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2011, producing chart-topping hits like “Black Magic” and “Shout Out to My Ex.” The group decided to take a break in 2021, with Edwards revealing they “put their foot down” after feeling tired from their hectic schedules.
Describing the break as a “gradual thing,” Edwards explained, “I don’t think it was like an overnight ‘I’m gonna go solo now,’ because I never knew what I would do in my future. I just knew that Little Mix had me tired. We love each other and we’re so supportive of each other and we just want to see each other win.”
Initially, the group felt unsure about their decision, often expressing their boredom and second-guessing their choice in their WhatsApp group. However, they soon found exciting new projects to pursue. Edwards spent the past year and a half working on her debut solo album, which will be released later this year. Her debut solo single, “Forget About Us,” was released in April, followed by “Tears” in June.
Edwards describes the solo songwriting process as “like the fastest form of therapy ever.” Collaborating with big songwriters and producers like Ed Sheeran and Raye, she gradually took charge of her creative process. “I’d walk in in the morning and be like, ‘Right, I wrote this down in my notes yesterday, what do you think of this as a concept? What do you think of this as a lyric?’ And then I started taking charge a bit more, which I’m not used to doing. And I just really enjoyed it.”
One special feature of her upcoming album is a recording of her baby son Axel’s voice on one of the songs. Edwards, who shares Axel with footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, notes that Alex has been incredibly supportive throughout her solo journey. “I think Alex probably knows my album more than I do!” she laughs. “He’s so supportive. He knows everything like inside out.”
For more insights, listen to Perrie’s full interview on The Dish from Waitrose podcast, available now.
