My Ego Told Me To

Last updated

My Ego Told Me To
Leigh-Anne - My Ego Told Me To (album cover).png
Studio album by
Leigh-Anne
Released20 February 2026 (2026-02-20)
Genre
Length39:31
Label Virgin Music
Producer
Leigh-Anne chronology
No Hard Feelings
(2024)		My Ego Told Me To
(2026)
Singles from My Ego Told Me To
  1. "Been a Minute"
    Released: 18 July 2025
  2. "Burning Up"
    Released: 24 August 2025
  3. "Dead and Gone"
    Released: 16 October 2025
  4. "Most Wanted"
    Released: 21 January 2026

My Ego Told Me To is the first solo studio album by the English singer Leigh-Anne, released on 20 February 2026 through Virgin Music Group. [2] The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Been a Minute", "Burning Up", "Dead and Gone", and "Most Wanted". My Ego Told Me To has charted in the top three in Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Contents

Background and composition

Following the conclusion of Little Mix's the Confetti Tour in May 2022, Leigh-Anne signed a record deal with Warner Records after signing to management company TaP Music in March 2021 for her solo endeavours. [3] [4] [5] Between the conclusion of the tour in May 2022 and May 2023, Leigh-Anne recorded various songs for her debut album in both the United Kingdom and a writing camp in Jamaica, with writers Abby-Lynn Keen, Tayla Parx, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Kassa, and Dyo. [6] On 16 June 2023, Leigh-Anne released UK garage-influenced debut single "Don't Say Love", which topped the UK Singles Sales Chart, reached number two on the UK Singles Downloads Chart, and entered at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. [7] This was followed by second single "My Love" featuring Ayra Starr on 7 September 2023, which peaked in the Top 30 of the UK charts. [8] In March 2024, Leigh-Anne announced the release of her debut EP, titled No Hard Feelings , featuring five tracks which "fit together in their own world", separate from her upcoming debut album. [9] The project was preceded by the lead single "Stealin' Love", and later featured bonus track "Nature", which was created in her Jamaican writing sessions. [10]

In May 2025, after a period of relative silence and social media rumblings of label strife, Leigh-Anne announced a new partnership with Virgin Music Group as an independent artist, following her departure from Warner Records. [11] In July 2025, Leigh-Anne announced Masters at Work-sampling single "Been a Minute", which was released on 18 July. [12] Another single, "Burning Up", was released a month later. [13] In October, she released the single "Dead and Gone", and joined Sigala and Jonita on the song "Hello". [14] [15] On 15 October 2025, Leigh-Anne announced that her debut album My Ego Told Me To, would be released on 20 February 2026, and supported by the eight-date My Ego Told Me Tour, taking place in April 2026. [16] [17] Pinnock reportedly left Warner Records in January 2025, stating that the label lacked the budget to support the album release. [18]

The standard edition of the album consists of fifteen tracks written by the singer herself in collaboration with numerous songwriters and producers, including Rvssian, Fred Ball, PRGRSHN, Clarence Coffee Jr., Keen, and Odeal. Leigh-Anne described the project in a Rolling Stone interview as "the truest representation of me as an artist. Versatile, rooted in reggae and my heritage, but stamped with pop. It’s personal and impossible to box in. I wanted it to feel authentic, blending the genres I love with a sound that’s distinctly mine... These are songs I’ll be proud of in five, ten years, because they reflect exactly where I was. You’ll hear my world in it... and the moment I embraced my fire side and said: no more. This is my show now.” [2]

Critical reception

Robin Murray of Clash praised Leigh-Anne and My Ego Told Me To for "standing on her truth" and highlighted its incorporation of various music genres, which she attributed to Leigh-Anne's background. [1] In his review for Classic Pop , John Earls characterised the album as an "eclectic jour­ney with con­fid­ent song­writ­ing at its core". He further praised Leigh-Anne's ability to delve into various music genres "without ever sounding like she's trying to chase any trends". [19] Shatter the Standards awarded a four-out-of-five star review, commending Leigh-Anne's vocals as her "sturdiest instrument" and noting that the album "keeps arguing with itself about how honest it wants to be". [20] The Arts Desk characterised the album as uneven, praising tracks such as "Look into My Eyes" and "Dead and Gone"; however, they felt that the album did not consistently uphold a higher standard of quality. [21]

Commercial performance

My Ego Told Me To debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart [22] with 10,545 album-equivalent units earned in its first week. [23] Additionally, the album charted at number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart. [22] Within Ireland, My Ego Told Me To entered at number five on the Irish Independent Albums Chart [24] and number eighty-seven on the Irish Albums chart. [25] Elsewhere, the album entered at number three on the Scottish Albums Chart [26] and number seventeen on Swedish Physical Albums. [27]

Track listing

My Ego Told Me To track listing [28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Look into My Eyes"
  • Coffee Jr.
  • Cutts
  • Zhone
2:24
2."Dead and Gone"
  • Coffee Jr.
  • Cutts
  • Hickey
  • L. Pinnock
  • Coffee Jr.
  • Cutts
  • Zhone
2:40
3."Revival"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Coffee Jr.
  • Cutts
  • Hickey
  • Coffee Jr.
  • Cutts
  • Zhone
2:41
4."Been a Minute"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Chazara Odom
  • Elijah Ross
  • J Warner
  • Anastas Hackett
  • Lasse Qvist
  • Ross
  • Qvist
3:20
5."Goodbye Goodmorning"
3:24
6."Burning Up"
  • Guylaire Leon Jr.
  • Emmanuel Boateng
  • Tyler Spears
  • Alexis Boateng
  • Jeremiah Green
  • Jamal Gaines
  • L. Pinnock
2:06
7."Most Wanted" (with Rvssian and Valiant)
  • L. Pinnock
  • Rvssian
  • Oswaldo Randel
  • Raheem Bowes
  • Odeal
  • Andrew Green
  • Rvssian
  • Randel
2:15
8."Best Version of Me"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Ross
  • Dimitry Skeete
  • Odom
  • Shanel Blackman
  • Alanis Harris
  • Green
GYW Eli2:47
9."Me Minus U"
Ball3:00
10."Sunrise"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Tyree Hawkins
  • Nathan Butts
  • Dayyon Alexander
  • Malika Hamzaa
  • Bubele Booi
  • David Balshaw
  • Dim Crx
  • Hawkins
  • Butts
  • the Imports
2:45
11."You Are a Star (Interlude)"
  • Byron Steve Pinnock
  • Annette Pinnock
 1:08
12."Free"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Paris Ramos
  • Amber Deaton
  • Khadija Alexander
  • Yannick Lawrence
  • Green
  • GYW Eli
  • Track Starr
2:48
13."Tight Up Skirt"
  • L. Pinnock
  • Ross
  • Anthony Norris
  • Leon Jr.
  • E. Boateng
  • Tyler Spears
  • A. Boateng
  • K. Alexander
  • Green
2:21
14."Talk to Me Nice"
  • Wood
  • the Imports
2:48
15."Heaven"
PRGRSHN3:04
Total length:39:31
My Ego Told Me To + bonus tracks [29] [30]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Friends" (with Rvssian)
  • L. Pinnock
  • Theron Thomas
  • Rvssian
  • Terique Johnson
  • Randel
  • Duijai Blake
2:59
17."Ego Suicide"   
18."Dead and Gone Part 2" (featuring Kojey Radical)   
My Ego Told Me To ++ digital bonus tracks [31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
17."Home"  
18."Been a Minute" (acoustic)
  • L. Pinnock
  • Odom
  • Ross
  • Warner
  • Hackett
  • Qvist
 
My Ego Told Me To + Deluxe digital bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
18."Dead and Gone (Acoustic)" 

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [32]

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2026)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [33] 36
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [34] 43
Irish Albums (IRMA) [25] 87
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) [24] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] 3
Spanish Vinyl Albums (PROMUSICAE) [35] 35
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [27] 17
UK Albums (OCC) [36] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [37] 1

References

  1. 1 2 Murray, Robin (18 February 2026). "Leigh-Anne – My Ego Told Me To". Clash . ISSN   1743-0801. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 Reilly, Nick (15 October 2025). "Leigh-Anne Announces Debut Album 'My Ego Told Me To' and UK/European Tour". Rolling Stone UK.
  3. ↑ "U.K. ACT TO WATCH: LEIGH-ANNE (WMG)". Hits Daily Double.
  4. ↑ "Tap Music signs Leigh-Anne Pinnock for solo career". Music Week. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Aswad, Jem (12 March 2021). "Music Industry Moves: Danny Strick Joins CMNTY Culture as Senior Advisor; Little Mix Singer Signs With TaP". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Joshi, Tara (31 August 2023). "Leigh-Anne Pinnock: 'I haven't lived my destiny out yet'". Rolling Stone UK.
  7. ↑ "Don't Say Love is this summer's second most-purchased physical single in the UK". Official Charts. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Leigh-Anne shares second solo single, 'My Love'". DIY. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Leigh Anne [@LeighAnneMusic] (19 March 2024). "I've been writing & recording so much working on my album but while making it, I've made a collection of songs that fit together in their own world... 💚🍀" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 March 2024– via X (formerly Twitter).
  10. ↑ "Leigh-Anne unveils new single, "Nature" and announces debut UK and IE headline tour". The Line of Best Fit.
  11. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (6 January 2026). "Former Little Mix Member Leigh-Anne Pinnock Claims She Was 'Ghosted' By Former Label: 'Quite Brutal'". Billboard.
  12. ↑ Dunworth, Liberty (21 July 2025). "Leigh-Anne samples Masters At Work for "soundtrack to my comeback" 'Been A Minute'". NME.
  13. ↑ Skinner, Tom (26 August 2025). "Little Mix's Leigh-Anne shares "euphoric" new single 'Burning Up'". NME.
  14. ↑ Méndez, Chris Malone. "Leigh-Anne Is 'Dead And Gone' On New Single". Forbes.
  15. ↑ "Sigala, Leigh-Anne and Jonita have us at Hello with brand-new banger". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Sandiford, Kayla (15 October 2025). "Leigh-Anne announces debut album, My Ego Told Me To, alongside UK/EU tour dates". The Line of Best Fit . United Kingdom. ISSN   2754-7469 . Retrieved 15 October 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ↑ Hussain, Shahzaib (15 October 2025). "Leigh-Anne announces debut album My Ego Told Me To". Clash . United Kingdom. ISSN   1743-0801 . Retrieved 15 October 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ↑ Murray, Robin (2 January 2026). "Leigh-Anne Ditches Warner, Claims They "Don't Have The Budget" For Her Debut Album". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  19. ↑ Earls, John (12 February 2026). "Leigh-Anne – My Ego Told Me To". Classic Pop . p. 84. ISSN   2050-6643. OCLC   1368300561. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026– via PressReader.
  20. ↑ Beltrán, Hana (19 February 2026). "Album review: My Ego Told Me To by Leigh-Anne". Shatter the Standards. Archived from the original on 20 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  21. ↑ Green, Thomas H. (20 February 2026). "'My Ego Told Me To', the solo debut from Little Mix's Leigh-Anne, shows promise then fizzles". The Arts Desk . Archived from the original on 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  22. 1 2 Smith, Carl (27 February 2026). "Leigh-Anne's My Ego Told Me To tops Official Independent Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  23. ↑ Jones, Alan (27 February 2026). "Charts analysis: Mumford & Sons pack a punch with fourth number one album" . Music Week . eISSN   2052-2371. ISSN   0265-1548. OCLC   750494535. Archived from the original on 27 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Irish Independent Chart – Week 9 2026 – Week Ending 6 Mar 2026". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 28 February 2026.Note: Select 2026 on the year selector and 27-Feb-26 on the date selector.
  25. 1 2 "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 9, 2026)". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 27/2/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 9, 2026" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  28. ↑ Pinnock, Leigh-Anne (20 February 2026). "My Ego Told Me To" . Retrieved 19 February 2026– via Apple Music.
  29. ↑ Pinnock, Leigh-Anne. "My Ego Told Me To +" . Retrieved 5 February 2026– via Online Store.
  30. ↑ Pinnock, Leigh-Anne; Rvssian (21 November 2025). "Friends" . Retrieved 5 February 2026– via Apple Music.
  31. ↑ Pinnock, Leigh-Anne. "My Ego Told Me To ++" . Retrieved 20 February 2026– via Online Store.
  32. ↑ Pinnock, Leigh-Anne (20 February 2026). "My Ego Told Me To | Credits". Tidal . Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Leigh-Anne – My Ego Told Me To" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Leigh-Anne – My Ego Told Me To" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  35. ↑ "New Releases: MY EGO TOLD ME TO - Top 100 Vinilos" (in esp). PROMUSICAE . Retrieved 8 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  36. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 27/2/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  37. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 27/2/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
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