Jesy Nelson | |
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![]() Nelson in 2017 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Jessica Louise Nelson |
Born | Romford, London, England | 14 June 1991
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Discography | |
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | Little Mix |
Website | jesynelsonofficial |
Jessica Louise Nelson (born 14 June 1991) is an English singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix, who were formed during the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. As part of Little Mix, Nelson achieved seventeen top-ten singles and five number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart.
In 2019, Nelson released a documentary titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, which focused on her struggles with body image, mental health and online bullying. It won the Factual Entertainment Award at the 25th National Television Awards and the Visionary Honour Award for Documentary of the Year. Nelson's private life and her departure from Little Mix in 2020, have been the subject of media scrutiny in the UK. In October 2021, she released her debut single titled "Boyz", featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, which was met with negative reception. It debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart. In April 2023, she released her follow-up single, "Bad Thing".
Jessica Louise Nelson [1] was born in Romford, East London, [2] on 14 June 1991, [3] to John Nelson, a businessman, and Janis Nelson, a police community support officer. Her parents separated when she was five. She is the second youngest of four children with an older sister Jade, an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Joseph. [4] [5]
Nelson attended Jo Richardson Community School and Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College in Hornchurch, London. [6] She also attended the Sylvia Young and Yvonne Rhodes Theatre Schools. [7] Prior to auditioning for The X Factor , Nelson worked as a barmaid in Dagenham. [8] In 2020, Nelson said that, as a child, she had non speaking roles as an extra in About a Boy (2002) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). [9]
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Her first audition was "Bust Your Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan, and successfully auditioned as a soloist for the eighth series of the UK version of The X Factor in front of judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland, but failed the first challenge of the "bootcamp" section to progress through to the Girls category (solo females aged 16–24). [10] Nelson and Perrie Edwards were placed in a group called "Faux Pas" while Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock were to be put in a group named "Orion". Both groups, however, failed to progress. A later decision by the judges recalled two members from each group to form the four-piece group Rhythmix, sending them through to the "judges' houses" section. They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. [11] On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the band's new name would be Little Mix. [12] On 11 December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first band ever to win the British version of the show. [13]
After winning the show, Little Mix signed a record deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell. Since joining Little Mix, Nelson has faced cyber-bullying and struggled to cope during her time on The X Factor. [5] Nelson released six albums with the group; DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) and Confetti (2020) The last of which was released a month before she left the group. [14]
Nelson released her documentary on BBC Three in 2019, titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out. The documentary was based on her experiences with body image and online bullying. It was BBC Three's top factual title since the channel moved online and on BBC One it was watched by 3.3 million viewers. [15] The documentary won the Factual Entertainment Award at the 25th National Television Awards.
In December 2020, she announced her departure from the group due to prolonged issues with her mental health. She said: "I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard." [16]
In May 2021, Nelson announced that she had signed a record deal with Polydor Records and that she would be releasing solo music later in the year. [17] On 8 October 2021, she released her debut solo single, "Boyz", which featured American rapper Nicki Minaj. The single, which interpolates the song "Bad Boy for Life" by Diddy who made a cameo appearance in a music video for "Boyz", was met with negative reception and debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart. [18] [ citation needed ] In June 2022, Nelson revealed that her debut album was almost finished, [19] but a month later it was announced that she had split from Polydor amid "creative differences", [20] and the record remains unreleased.
In December 2022, it was reported that Nelson had filmed a music video for a follow-up single titled "Cried Out", [21] which was later shelved in favour of her second official solo single, "Bad Thing", released independently on 14 April 2023. [22] Upon its release, Nelson received praise from the charity Women's Aid due to the song's themes of domestic abuse. [23] The single peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. [24] Nelson next planned to release "Cried Out" as her third single, but in July 2023, it was reported that the single was scrapped. [25]
Nelson featured on Zion Foster's single "Mine", which was released on 2 August 2024.
Nelson has said that being bullied at school may have contributed to her suffering from stress-induced alopecia as a teenager. [26] [27] In her BBC documentary Odd One Out, Nelson was vocal about her struggle with body image. She said she would starve herself before TV performances or video shoots, then later binge eat. She said that abuse from online trolls on Twitter drove her to attempt suicide in 2013, stating: "I felt that I physically couldn't tolerate the pain any more." [28]
In 2012, Nelson dating Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, but separated after a year together. [29] In 2014, Nelson began dating Rixton lead singer, Jake Roche. The couple became engaged on 19 July 2015, [30] but broke up in November 2016. [31] She had a brief relationship with Chris Clark in 2017, [32] followed by a 16-month relationship with musician Harry James that ended in November 2018. In January 2019, Nelson began dating Love Island contestant Chris Hughes; [33] they split in April 2020. In November 2022, Nelson began dating rapper Zion Foster. [34]
Nelson has 15 tattoos, including a quote on her upper right arm: "Music is the strongest form of magic". [35]
In June 2018, Nelson posted an image of herself on Instagram wearing her hair in dreadlocks. The photo was later deleted after she was criticised over accusations of cultural appropriation. [36] In May 2021, Nelson was accused of "blackfishing" (a form of cultural appropriation). [37] Her name trended on Twitter after some users realised that she is white, having previously believed that Nelson was a woman of colour. In 2021, after the release of "Boyz", Nelson faced criticism online for her appearance in the music video, with comments on her accent and darkened skin. This led to further accusations of blackfishing. [38]
In November 2020, Little Mix's publicist stated that Nelson would take an extended break from the pop group for "private medical reasons". [39] On 14 December 2020, Nelson announced her departure from Little Mix due to struggles with her mental health. [16]
In August 2021, Nelson spoke in an interview about her time on The X Factor and criticised the show for the lack of support she received after being subjected to online trolling. In the interview she spoke about the eating disorder she had developed through extreme dieting during her time with Little Mix, and the panic attacks she would experience. [40] Two months later, she explained her voluntary childlessness, saying "It's just not in me". [41] She further claimed that being body shamed on social media (which she was subjected to since 2020) had greatly "destroyed" her chances of starting a family. [42]
In 2019, Nelson spoke about her experiences with body image and the impact of online bullying on her life and mental health. [43] Before Little Mix's 2020 studio album Confetti was released, Nelson took some time out of the group's promotion schedule, citing a private medical matter. [44] On 14 December 2020, she announced she was leaving the group due to the impact on her mental health. In a statement, she said: "I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard." [45]
In August 2021, Nelson told The Guardian that since her first appearance on The X Factor with Little Mix she had been trolled about her physical appearance on social media. Although the group supported Nelson's frailties, she said that The X Factor should pair a therapist or psychologist with the coaches. Nelson underwent therapy, where she was told she had an eating disorder. [46]
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Little Mix began work on the "Sweet Melody" music video. Nelson had gained weight and did not feel fit for filming, deciding to go on a drastic diet without getting results. [47] [46] After she was hospitalised, her mother told the other members that she had to leave the group. [46] [48] She said that some backstage people associated with Little Mix were glad to see her go. [46]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [18] | IRE [49] | NZ Hot [50] | US Bub. [51] | WW [52] | |||
"Boyz" (featuring Nicki Minaj) | 2021 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 86 | Non-album singles |
"Bad Thing" | 2023 | — [lower-alpha 1] | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Mine" [54] (Zion Foster featuring Jesy Nelson) | 2024 | TBA |
Year | Artist | Featured artist | Album | Song | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Little Mix | — | DNA | "Wings" | Co-writer |
"DNA" | |||||
"Change Your Life" | |||||
"How Ya Doin'?" | |||||
2013 | Salute | "Salute" | |||
"Move" | |||||
"Little Me" | |||||
2015 | |||||
Get Weird | "Grown" | ||||
"OMG" | |||||
"I Love You" | |||||
"Lightning" | |||||
"I Won't" | |||||
"Clued In" | |||||
Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea | Non-album single | "Pretty Girls" | |||
2016 | Little Mix | Glory Days | "Shout Out to My Ex" | ||
"Freak" | |||||
"Down & Dirty" | |||||
"Private Show" | |||||
2018 | Sharaya J | LM5 | "Strip" | ||
— | "Love a Girl Right" | ||||
2021 | Jesy Nelson | Nicki Minaj | Non-album singles | "Boyz" | |
2023 | — | "Bad Thing" | |||
2024 | Zion Foster | Jesy Nelson | TBA | "Mine" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | About a Boy | Extra | Uncredited | [55] |
2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | [55] | ||
2011 | The X Factor | Contestant | Winner, Series 8 | [56] |
2012 | Styled to Rock | Celebrity mentor | Season 1; Episode 3 | [57] [58] |
2017 | Glory Days: The Documentary | Herself | Tour documentary | [59] |
2019 | Celebrity Gogglebox | One episode | [60] | |
Eat In with Little Mix | Web series | [61] | ||
Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out | Documentary | [62] | ||
2020 | The Voice UK | Guest mentor | [63] | |
Little Mix The Search | Judge | Music competition series | [64] | |
One World: Together at Home | Herself | Television special | [65] | |
How To Be Anne-Marie | Documentary | [66] | ||
LM5: The Tour Film | Tour film | [67] | ||
2023 | The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off | Charity Special | [68] |
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | CelebMix Awards | Biggest Inspiration | Herself | Nominated | [69] |
Metro UK Awards | Celeb of the Year | Won | [70] | ||
I Talk Telly Awards | Best Documentary | Odd One Out | Won | [71] | |
OnSide Awards | Gold award | Won | [72] | ||
2020 | National Television Awards | Factual Entertainment | Won | [73] [74] | |
Visionary Honours Awards | Documentary of the Year | Won | [75] | ||
PLT Awards | Inspirational Influencer of the Year | Herself | Won | [76] [77] | |
CelebMix Awards | Biggest Inspiration | Nominated | [78] |
Janice Robinson is an American singer and songwriter, initially known as a member of 1990s Italian Eurodance group Livin' Joy with global dance hit Dreamer, before she embarked on a solo career.
Perrie Louise Edwards is an English singer. She rose to fame as a member of Little Mix, a girl group formed during the eighth series of The X Factor UK, which they eventually won. 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.
Jade Amelia Thirlwall 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 UK in 2011. After becoming the first group to win the show, they released six studio albums, and amassed nineteen UK top-ten singles, five of which reached number one. Before going on hiatus in 2022, they became the first girl band to win the Brit Award for British Group.
Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the seventh series of The X Factor. They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup 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 group 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.
"Wings" is the debut single by British girl group Little Mix. It was released 24 August 2012, through Syco Music and Columbia Records as the lead single from their debut studio album DNA (2012). The song was written by group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards, with the production team TMS and songwriters Iain James, Erika Nuri, Michelle Lewis, Mischke Butler and Heidi Rojas. The song was lyrically inspired by the hardships they had experienced while contestants on The X Factor UK. Described as an R&B and Bubblegum pop track, the song's production is mixed with bombastic brass that was inspired by Christina Aguilera's album Back to Basics.
DNA is the debut studio album by British girl group Little Mix, released on 19 November 2012 through Syco Music and Columbia Records. The recording stages for the album took place between December 2011 and concluded in September 2012. Throughout the recording process, the group worked with several producers, with the album being largely co-written by them and other girl group members, Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud, Shaznay Lewis of All Saints and T-Boz of TLC. The group stated that they were involved in the development of the album as much as possible.
"DNA" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 9 November 2012, through Syco Music, as the second single from their debut studio album of the same name (2012). It was written by the group members, along with production team TMS and songwriter Iain James.
"Change Your Life" is a song released by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 15 February 2013, as the third single from their debut studio album, DNA (2012). The track was written by the group members, along with Ash Howes, and its producers Richard Stannard and Tim Powell. The single was inspired by the group own experiences while as contestants on the eighth UK series of The X Factor and their fans.
"How Ya Doin'?" is a song by British girl group Little Mix, featuring American rapper Missy Elliott. It was released on 15 April 2013, through Syco Music as the fourth and final single from Little Mix's debut studio album, DNA (2012). "How Ya Doin" was described by critics as a pop rap track and received generally favorable reviews from critics. The chorus was taken from Curiosity Killed the Cat's 1989 single "Name and Number", with the bassline and beat coming from The Whatnauts 1981 funk song "Help Is on the Way". Both samples were used in "Ring Ring Ring " by De La Soul in almost the same manner.
"Move" is a song recorded by British girl group Little Mix. It was released through Syco Music, as the lead single from their second studio album, Salute (2013). It was co-written by members Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards with Maegan Cottone and Nathan Duvall, and produced by Duvall.
"Little Me" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released by Syco Music, as the second single from the group's second studio album, Salute (2013). It was co-written by group members Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, along with TMS and Iain James, with production done by TMS. It was met with positive reviews from music critics and samples a part from Gabriel Fauré's Pavane. It peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and charted in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and Lebanon. "Little Me" has since been certified silver in the United Kingdom.
"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.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock is an English singer and actress. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix, who 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.
"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.
"Think About Us" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. The original version appeared on their fifth studio album, LM5 (2018). A remixed version featuring American singer Ty Dolla Sign was released on 25 January 2019 as the second and final single from the album. The song was written by Kamille, Goldfingers, Frank Nobel, Ty Dolla Sign and Victor Bolander, and produced by Kamille, Goldfingers and Louis Bell.
Little Mix The Search is a British reality television music competition that was announced in October 2019, and began airing on BBC One on 26 September 2020, concluding with the final on 7 November 2020. The series was judged by British girl group Little Mix, with the winning act from the series joining them on The Confetti Tour (2022). In August 2021 it was announced that the show had been put on an "indefinite hold" after one series.
Confetti is the sixth studio album by British girl group Little Mix, released on 6 November 2020 by RCA Records. It was largely recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, which interfered with the promotion plan for the album. Group member Jesy Nelson announced her departure from the group in December 2020. Confetti is 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.
"Wasabi" is a song recorded by British girl group Little Mix. It was released from their fifth studio album LM5 (2018), on 16 November 2018 by Syco, and appears as the tenth album track. It was co written by group member Jade Thirlwall, with MNEK, Mike Sabath, and Shungudzo, with production handled by Sabath, John Hill, and Joe Kearns.
"Boyz" is the debut solo single by British singer Jesy Nelson featuring American rapper Nicki Minaj; marking the second collaboration between both artists after "Woman Like Me" in 2018 when Nelson was part of Little Mix. It was released on 8 October 2021, through Polydor Records, becoming her only release with that label after parting ways with them in 2022. It is also Nelson's first single to be released since leaving the girl group Little Mix in 2020. It heavily interpolates American rapper Diddy's 2001 song "Bad Boy for Life". Lyrically, "Boyz" speaks of Nelson's infatuation with rebellious men.