Leigh-Anne Pinnock | |
---|---|
Born | Leigh-Anne Pinnock 4 October 1991 High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2011–present |
Works | Little Mix discography |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Full list [lower-alpha 1] |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Labels | Warner |
Member of | Little Mix |
Website | leigh-anneofficial |
Leigh-Anne Pinnock (born 4 October 1991), also known mononymously as Leigh-Anne, [1] is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix, that were formed, and won the eighth series of The X Factor UK. As part of the group she won three Brit Awards—becoming the first girl group to win British Group. They also achieved nineteen top-ten singles and five number-ones on the UK Singles Chart, before going on hiatus in 2022. In 2021, she made her acting debut in the film Boxing Day .
As part of her solo career, Leigh-Anne has released the singles "Don't Say Love" and "My Love" featuring Ayra Starr. In 2023, she won Musician of the Year and Breakthrough Artist at the Glamour Awards and released her debut EP No Hard Feelings on 31 May 2024. [2]
Leigh-Anne is noted for advocating for various racial issues and for racial equality, which earned her a National Diversity and Visionary Honour Award. Her documentary, Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power (2021), received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Authored Documentary at the 26th National Television Awards.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock was born on 4 October 1991, to black mixed-race parents Deborah Thornhill, a history teacher, and John Pinnock, a champion boxer and was raised in a Caribbean household. [3] Both of her grandfathers immigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1960s and entered interracial relationships. [4] She lived in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. [5] [6] with her two older sisters Sian-Louise and Sairah. [7] Sairah became her manager following Little Mix's hiatus in 2022. She has Barbadian and Jamaican ancestry [8] and counts Jamaica as her second home. [9]
Before joining Little Mix, she worked as a waitress at Pizza Hut and used to post her music on MySpace and Facebook. [10] [11] Her early experience of organised singing came when she joined a youth club and choir then run by Jay Blades, who later became a trustee of her charity The Black Fund that she founded in 2021. [12] In 2020, Pinnock spoke out about the first time she experienced racism at the age of nine, for a documentary that was later aired on Channel 4. [13] [14]
Pinnock auditioned as a soloist for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. Her first audition was "Only Girl (In the World)" by Rihanna. [15] After she failed the first bootcamp challenge, she was placed in a three-piece group named "Orion" alongside Jade Thirlwall. Orion performed a rendition of "Yeah" by Chris Brown. Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson both were in another group called "Faux Pas". Faux Pas performed a rendition of "Survivor" by Destiny's Child. Both groups, however, were eliminated. Later, the four were called back by the judges and formed into the four-piece group Rhythmix, and they progressed to judges' houses. [16] They reached the live shows and was mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. [17] On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group name had changed to Little Mix. [18] On 11 December 2011, Little Mix became the group to win the series. They became the first girl group to make it past week seven of the live shows, the first girl group to reach The X Factor final and the first and only girl group to win the show. [19] [20] [21]
As of 2022, Pinnock has released six studio albums and a compilation album with the group: DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) Confetti (2020), and Between Us (2021). Pinnock shares songwriting credits for more than 50 songs, across Little Mix's six studio albums. She has co-written two UK number one singles with "Wings" in 2012 and "Shout Out to My Ex" in 2016. In 2019, she signed with Sony/ATV as a published songwriter. [22] With the group, Pinnock achieved nineteen top-ten singles, five number-ones, and six consecutive top-five albums on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the first girl group to achieve this and the first girl group to spend a total of 100 weeks within the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. [23] [24] Since Little Mix's debut, they have become one of the best-selling girl groups and one of Britain's biggest selling acts.
In May 2021, her documentary, Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power , was released on BBC iPlayer and BBC One to critical acclaim. It was centred around racial issues and colourism in the music industry and detailed her own personal experiences. [25] It received a nomination for Best Authored Documentary at the 26th National Television Awards, and also won Documentary of the Year at the Visionary Honours Awards, Media Progress Moment at the Ethnicity Awards, and Best Documentary at the I Talk Telly Awards. [26] In December 2021, the group announced they would be going on a hiatus to allow its members to pursue solo projects. [27] That same month, she made her acting debut in the film Boxing Day, which she also recorded original music for. Pinnock Productions contributed to the production of the film. [28] [29]
In February 2022, Pinnock signed a record deal with Warner Records, and signed to TaP Music in March 2021 for her solo endeavours. [30] [31] In July 2022, she joined YouTube and Twitter, and began teasing solo music. [32] In September 2022, she spoke at the One Young World Summit in Manchester. [33] In December 2022, Pinnock uploaded a YouTube cover of "I Say a Little Prayer" which is featured in Boxing Day (2021). [34]
In March 2023, Pinnock uploaded a cover of "Weak" by American R&B trio SWV onto YouTube. [35] In the same month, she narrated The Little Mermaid for Audible UK. [36] In April, she announced she would be releasing her first memoir, Believe, scheduled to be released on 26 October 2023. [37] In the same month, she performed a cover of "ICU" by Coco Jones. [38] In June, Pinnock announced her debut solo single titled "Don't Say Love", which was released on 16 June 2023 via Warner. [39] On 11 June, she was featured on the cover of British Vogue . [40] She was featured on the song "Running Away" from Jon Batiste's album World Music Radio, released on August 18, 2023. [41] The same month she graced the cover of Rolling Stone. [1]
On 7 September 2023, Leigh-Anne released "My Love" featuring Ayra Starr. [42] On 15 September, Pinnock uploaded exclusive performances of "My Love" and "Don't Say Love" in partnership with Vevo. In October she was part of the BBC's Live Lounge line up and performed a cover version of "Paint the Town Red" by Doja Cat. [43] On October 18, she appeared on the cover of Glamour UK and won "Musician Of The Year" at the "Glamour Women Of The Year" awards. [44] In November, she attended the German version of the award show, in which she won 'Breakthrough Artist'. [45] Leigh-Anne later performed at Children in Need and performed alongside Iza at the Afropunk Festival in Brazil. [46]
In December 2023, she performed at Jingle Bell Ball and performed a cover version of "Last Christmas" by Wham! and later that month performed a cover version of Boyz II Men "Let It Snow". [47] She also graced the cover edition of Quem (magazine). [48]
In March 2024, Pinnock announced the release of a music project, separate from that of her debut album, called No Hard Feelings , which was released on 31 May 2024, featuring five tracks which "fit together in their own world". [49] The first single released from the project was "Stealin' Love" and the second single was "Forbidden Fruit". That same month she announced her first headline show in London. [50]
Pinnock has been in a relationship with professional footballer Andre Gray since 2016, after the pair met in Marbella. The couple moved in together in December 2018 and got engaged on their four-year anniversary in 2020. [51] In May 2021, she announced that she was pregnant, and on 16 August 2021, gave birth to twins. [52] [53] The couple married on 3 June 2023 in Jamaica. [54] [11] In May 2024, Pinnock shared a video to her Instagram, which confirms one of the twins is a girl. [55] [56]
Pinnock was attacked at a restaurant in London by a male customer in 2016. [57] In December 2017, while performing with Little Mix as an opening act for Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman Tour, she suffered a burn backstage at one of their gigs. [58]
In February 2015, Pinnock launched a Tumblr fashion blog called "Leigh Loves". [59] She co-founded her own swimwear range in April 2019, titled In'A'Seashell, in partnership with her friend Gabrielle Urquhart. [60] In same month she was announced as the new face of the sports brand Umbro. [61] In April 2019, Pinnock signed to Sony/ATV via joint venture TwentySeven as a published songwriter. [62] in October 2020, she launched her own production house named Pinnock Productions, to help embrace diversity and cultures that are under-represented in the media. [63] In 2020, the singer released a style edit collection with ASOS, a British fashion retailer. [64] [65] In 2021, in partnership with her fiancé Andre Gray and sister, she launched The Black Fund, a charity to support existing charities and groups to deliver support to black communities including financial support. [66] Pinnock is an ambassador for Maybelline New York, and in 2021 launched the "Brave Together" initiative in October. [67]
Pinnock is noted for her social justice advocacy; she speaks on issues including the Black Lives Matter movement, racial equality, colorism, feminism, and racism in the UK. To this end, she has shared her own experiences with racism as a child, as well as in the music industry. Early into her career, she refrained from discussing about these subjects over fears she would offend people and lose fans. [68] In an interview with Glamour magazine, she spoke about her experiences with race and how she felt "invisible" for the first three years as the only black girl in Little Mix, while at the same time acknowledging her own privilege as a light-skinned, mixed-race woman. [68] [69]
"My reality was feeling lonely while touring predominantly to white countries. I sang to fans who don't see me or hear me or cheer me on. My reality is feeling anxious before fan events and signings because I always feel like I'm the least favoured. My reality is constantly feeling like I have to work 10 times harder and longer to mark my place in the group, because my talent alone isn't enough. My reality is all the times I felt invisible within my group. Part of me is fully aware that my experience would have been even harder to deal with had I been dark-skinned. Our reality is no matter how far you think you've come, racism exists. — Pinnock on the racism she has experienced throughout her career. [70]
In 2019, Pinnock attended Pride in London, marching alongside charity organisations Mermaids, Stonewall, and Black Pride, to advocate for trans and LGBTQ rights. [71] She also attended the Black Lives Matter protests in London, and she has spoken out about the murders of African-Americans George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by American police. [72]
In 2019, Pinnock (who is also known for her charity work), as well as other British celebrities, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. [73] In 2021, in partnership with her fiancé and sister Sairah, she launched a charity called The Black Fund, which supports existing charities and groups who deliver support to the black community, including financial support. [74] [75] In 2022, the charity co-funded two scholarships for young creative black leaders to expand their visions in Tokyo. [76]
In July 2023, Pinnock was awarded an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. [77]
Pinnock cites Mariah Carey and Rihanna amongst her musical influences. [78]
Title | Details |
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No Hard Feelings |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [79] | CRO [80] | IRE [81] | LAT [82] | NGA [83] | NZ Hot [84] | |||
"Don't Say Love" | 2023 | 11 | 85 | 45 | 33 | 99 | 18 | TBA |
"My Love" (featuring Ayra Starr) | 28 | — | — | 32 | 51 | — | ||
"Stealin' Love" | 2024 | — [lower-alpha 2] | — | — | — | — | — | No Hard Feelings |
"Forbidden Fruit" | — [lower-alpha 3] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Running Away" | 2023 | Jon Batiste | World Music Radio |
Year | Artist | Album | Song | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Little Mix | DNA | "Wings" | Co-writer |
"DNA" | ||||
"Change Your Life" | ||||
"Pretend It's OK” | ||||
"How Ya Doin'?" | ||||
2013 | Salute | "Salute" | ||
"Move" | ||||
"Little Me" | ||||
2015 | Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea | Non-album single | "Pretty Girls" | |
2016 | Little Mix | Glory Days | "Shout Out to My Ex" | |
2018 | LM5 | "Joan of Arc" | ||
2019 | Confetti | "One I've Been Missing" | ||
2020 | "Break Up Song" | |||
"Holiday" | ||||
2021 | Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix | Between Us | "Heartbreak Anthem" | |
Little Mix | "Love (Sweet Love)" | |||
"No" | ||||
2023 | Herself | TBA | "Don't Say Love" | |
Jon Batiste | World Music Radio | "Running Away" | ||
Herself | TBA | "My Love" | ||
2024 | No Hard Feelings | "Stealin' Love" | ||
"Forbidden Fruit" | ||||
"OMG" | ||||
"Anticipate" | ||||
"I'll Still Be Here" |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Director(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
As lead artist | ||||
"Don't Say Love" | 2023 | None | Emil Nava | [87] |
"My Love" | Ayra Starr | Meji Alabi | [88] | |
"Stealin' Love" | 2024 | None | Nathan James Tettey | [89] |
"Forbidden Fruit" | [90] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | The X Factor | Contestant | Winner, Series 8 | [91] |
2012 | Styled to Rock | Celebrity mentor | Season 1; Episode 3 | [92] [93] |
2017 | Glory Days: The Documentary | Herself | Tour documentary | [94] |
2019 | Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out | Guest | Documentary | [95] |
Celebrity Gogglebox | Herself | One episode | [96] | |
Eat In with Little Mix | Web series | [97] | ||
2020 | Served! with Jade Thirlwall | Guest | Episode: "Rainbow Realness" | [98] |
The Talk | Herself | Channel 4 documentary | [99] | |
MTV Generation Change: Black Lives Matter | MTV documentary | [100] | ||
Little Mix The Search | Judge | Music competition series | [101] | |
One World: Together at Home | Herself | Television special | [102] | |
2020 MTV Europe Music Awards | Host | Also a performer | [103] | |
How to Be Anne-Marie | Guest | Documentary | [104] | |
LM5: The Tour Film | Herself | Concert film | [105] | |
2021 | The Voice UK | Guest | Guest mentor | [106] |
Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power | Herself | Documentary | [107] | |
RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest Judge | Series 3, Episode 5: "Draglexa" | [108] [109] | |
The Outsiders? | Herself | Documentary | [110] [111] | |
Boxing Day | Georgia | Film | [112] | |
2021 | MOBO Awards | Herself | Host | [113] |
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | CelebMix Awards | Biggest Inspiration | Herself | Nominated | [114] |
2019 | Ethnicity Awards | Influencer | Nominated | [115] | |
2020 | CelebMix Awards | Biggest Inspiration | Nominated | [116] | |
Ethnicity Awards | Inspirational Personality | Nominated | [117] | ||
Equality Award | Won | [118] | |||
National Diversity Awards | Celebrity of the Year | Won | [119] | ||
2021 | National Television Awards | Authored Documentary | Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power | Eliminated | [120] |
Ethnicity Awards | Media Progress Moment | Won | [121] [122] | ||
I Talk Telly Awards | Best Documentary | Won | [123] | ||
2022 | Visionary Honours Awards | Documentary of the Year | Won | [124] [125] | |
Burberry British Diversity Awards | Media Champion in Public Eye | Herself | Won | [126] [127] | |
Ethnicity Awards | Inspirational Public Figure | Nominated | [128] [129] | ||
2023 | Glamour Awards | Musician of the Year | Herself | Won | [130] |
Glamour Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Herself | Won | [131] | |
MBCC Awards | Honoury Inspirational | Herself | Won | [132] | |
2024 | Global Awards | Best Female | Herself | Nominated | |
Best Pop | Nominated | ||||
Best British Act | Nominated | ||||
Jessica Louise Nelson is an English singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix, which was formed during the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. As part of Little Mix, Nelson achieved seventeen top-ten hits and five number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart.
Perrie Louise Edwards, also known mononymously as Perrie, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of Little Mix, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. They were formed in 2011 during the eighth series of The X Factor UK, and were crowned the eventual winners of the series. The group won three Brit Awards, becoming the first girl group to win British Group. As part of Little Mix, Edwards achieved five number-one singles and nineteen top-ten entries on the UK Singles Chart. The group went on indefinite hiatus in 2022, and Edwards launched her career as a solo artist in 2024 with the single "Forget About Us".
Jade Amelia Thirlwall is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix, formed during the eighth series of The X Factor (UK) in 2011. As part of the group she won three Brit Awards—becoming the first girl group recipient to win British Group. They also achieved nineteen top-ten singles and five number-ones on the UK Singles Chart, before going on hiatus in 2022.
Little Mix are an English girl group, formed on the British version of The X Factor, and the first group and only girl group to win the series. The line up consisted of Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and originally Jesy Nelson, before her departure from the group in 2020. Regarded as the show's most successful winning act, their success led to a girl band renaissance in the UK. Little Mix's vocals and harmonies have garnered critical acclaim and the band have been ranked as one of the best vocal girl groups. They were often dubbed by some media as the "biggest girl group in the world", before going on a hiatus in 2022, allowing its members to pursue solo projects.
Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson is an English singer-songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's "Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", "Ciao Adios", "Friends", "2002", "Don't Play" and "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)". Her debut studio album, Speak Your Mind, was released in 2018 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. In 2021, she released her second studio album, Therapy followed by her third studio album, Unhealthy, in 2023. Both albums peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart.
"Shout Out to My Ex" is a song by British girl group Little Mix, released on 16 October 2016 through Syco Music and Columbia Records, as the lead single from the group's fourth studio album Glory Days (2016). A dance-pop song, it was co-written by group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson, with lyrics referencing the downfall of a relationship at the expense of a cheating ex. The song is cited as a girl power and breakup anthem.
"Power" is a song released by British girl group Little Mix, featuring British rapper Stormzy. It was released as the fourth and final single from Little Mix's fourth studio album Glory Days. The remix version appears on Glory Days: The Platinum Edition, the reissue of Glory Days.
"Woman Like Me" is a song by British girl group Little Mix featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on 12 October 2018, by Syco Music, as the lead single from the group's fifth studio album LM5. The song was co written by Jess Glynne, Ed Sheeran, Minaj and the song's producer Steve Mac.
"Break Up Song" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 27 March 2020 as the lead single from the group's sixth studio album Confetti (2020). The group co-wrote the song with Frank Nobel and producers Kamille and Goldfingers a year before it was chosen as the album's lead single. "Break Up Song" received positive reviews from critics and it has been described it as a synth-pop track influenced by 1980s pop music. The song addresses themes of heartbreak and independence after overcoming an ex.
Confetti is the sixth and most recent studio album by British girl group Little Mix, released through RCA Records on 6 November 2020. It was largely recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, which interfered with the promotion plan for the album. It was the group's last album to feature group member Jesy Nelson, after her departure from the group in December 2020, and their first to be released under RCA Records, following their departure from Syco Music. Confetti is a pop and R&B record that lyrically addresses themes of self-acceptance, self-worth, freedom, and independence.
"Sweet Melody" is a song by British girl group Little Mix, released through RCA Records on 23 October 2020, as the third single from the group's sixth studio album Confetti (2020). Little Mix worked with notable names and frequent collaborators Tayla Parx, Morten Ristorp, Robin Frid, Brian Garcia, and MNEK, who co-written and co-produced the track. It has since been regarded as one of the group's best releases.
"Confetti" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released through RCA UK on 4 November 2020, as the third promotional single from their sixth studio album of the same name. The song was written by MNEK, Kamille, Maegan Cottone and TMS, and was produced by the latter. "Confetti" is a pop song with elements of R&B, pop rap and hip hop, which sees the group celebrating independence after a break-up and their individual enjoyment of life.
Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power is a 2021 British documentary film directed by Natasha Gaunt that follows English singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock opening about racial issues and colourism she experienced in her life and in the music industry. The documentary aired on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on 13 May 2021. The documentary was filmed in 2020 after conversations about racism raised awareness following the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The documentary also shows Pinnock participating in protests in the UK against racial injustice and discussing the issue with fellow activists and artists including Alexandra Burke and Sugababes' Keisha Buchanan.
"Kiss My (Uh-Oh)" is a song by English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie and British girl group Little Mix. It was released by Asylum Records, as the fourth single from Anne-Marie's second studio-album Therapy (2021). It was written by Anne Marie, Taylor Upsahl, Camille Purcell, Pete Nappi, and John Banfield, with production by Nappi and Mojam. An electropop and calypso-pop song which samples Lumidee's song "Never Leave You ", the song lyrically discusses the liberation someone feels after walking away from a toxic relationship.
Between Us is a greatest hits album by English girl group Little Mix, released on 12 November 2021 through RCA Record UK. Described by the members as a celebration of sisterhood, friendship and fun, the announcement was made as part of the group's celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary since their formation on the eighth series of The X Factor UK. It was supported by the release of two songs, "Love " and "No".
"Love (Sweet Love)" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 3 September 2021 through RCA Records as a single in support of their greatest hits album Between Us. The song was written by group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, along with Lauren Aquilina, MNEK and Sakima; the latter two also produced the song.
"No" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 12 November 2021 through RCA Records as the second single from their first greatest hits album Between Us. It was written by group members Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards, along with Tre Jean-Marie, MNEK and Camille, with production by Tre Jean-Marie and MNEK. The song reached number thirty-five on the UK Singles Chart. It was the group's last single release before their hiatus in May 2022. It was performed for the first time during The Confetti Tour, the same year.
Boxing Day is a 2021 British romantic-comedy Christmas film written, directed by and starring Aml Ameen in his directorial debut. The film also stars Aja Naomi King and is the acting debut of Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Notably, it is the first British Christmas romantic comedy with an almost entirely Black cast.
"Don't Say Love" is the debut solo single by British singer and songwriter Leigh-Anne, released on 16 June 2023 by Warner Records. It is her first solo endeavour after Little Mix began their hiatus in 2022. Leigh-Anne, alongside Gregory Aldae Hein wrote the lyrics whereas Jon Bellion, Jimmie Gutch and Pete Nappi participated in the composition and production of the track.