After auditioning for the X-Factor 15 years ago, Leigh-Anne Pinnock has well and truly made her mark on the music scene.
As part of the critically acclaimed Little Mix, Leigh-Anne and her bandmates broke record after record, becoming one of the most successful girl groups of all time. But after the announcement of their hiatus in 2022, the group went their separate ways to pursue solo careers.
In February 2026, Leigh-Anne released her debut solo album, My Ego Told Me To, and to celebrate BBC Bitesize sat down with the singer to talk about music, school and the importance of representation.
Kimberley: Leigh-Anne, let's take it back to where it all started for you. What were you like when you were at school when you were growing up in High Wycombe?
Leigh-Anne: My goodness, in primary school, I was super shy, like painfully shy, but always knew that I wanted to sing. There was something in me that was like, no, you want to sing, you have to work around this. You have to try and find the courage and the confidence somewhere. And then I got into secondary school and I feel like I really found my voice. I was always the one that was debating in class or I was head girl as well. There was always like something that was just inside of me, like, you're going to do this, you're going to make it, you're going to be a pop star.
Kimberley: Famously, of course, you ended up in Little Mix, a girl group that has defied the odds when it comes to, I think, not only women in the music industry, but women everywhere when it comes to being underestimated. When you look back now, how do you feel about what you achieved in the band?
Leigh-Anne: We would fight and fight for credibility, like being in a girl band and being a pop group, I think there were so many stigmas attached to that, and I think we were constantly fighting to be seen and heard and felt like we had to work so hard, but we grinded like we put so many hours in and I love my girls so much. I love my sisters and the fact that we do still support each other now, we always will. And just really proud of each other.
Kimberley: You have Bajan and Jamaican heritage. You've really used your voice, you know, since being in the band, since coming out of the band for women everywhere. But kind of speaking up about your personal story, why is it so important to use your platform for good?
Leigh-Anne: Yeah, I feel like if I can be a representation for mixed and black girls, then I mean, that just means everything, you know? And I think definitely sometimes feel like I'm here for a bigger purpose. I think for me, I'm just really passionate about saying how it is, you know, like these things are really happening and racism is very much rife and we need to keep talking about it.
Kimberley: One thing that I have always really admired about you Leigh-Anne is what a grafter you are. You're not afraid of hard work. You've always put the hard lines in. Where do you get yourinspiration from when you're absolutely shattered?
Leigh-Anne: I feel like, my fans a lot of the time, and like they inspire me so much and they've just stuck by me for all these years and now to this moment. And they have my back and I just love them so much. But then also like, just even my girls like looking at my daughters, like every day being that strength and whatever else are kind of like, just inspire them all the time. Like I always have that in the back of my head. Like, what am I teaching you? I would really love to be known as an artist that uses their voice and uses their platform, an artist that can make people feel empowered and inspired and obviously, great music. You know, like I really want to be known for that too. But I think my main thing is to just, I hope just to be, I guess, inspiring.
Kimberley: If we just circle back to where we all started, we were talking about being at school and obviously famously you had a song out called Little Me when you were in Little Mix, if you could go back in time and speak to little Leigh-Anne when she was at school, what would you say to her?
Leigh-Anne: Last time I did this, I cried. So I'm not going to cry this time. I would say: keep that fearless energy that you have because you're going to need it. My younger self is the reason that I'm here, like she is the fire. She was so fearless and it's always been her that's been that fighting force. So yes I thank you younger self.
Kimberley: And that is a beautiful place to end it on. Leigh-Anne, thank you so much for talking to us. I could talk to you all day.
Leigh-Anne: Thank you.
“You’re going to make it, you’re going to be a pop star”
Leigh-Anne always knew she wanted to sing. Turning back the clock to her primary school days and growing up in High Wycombe she describes herself as painfully shy. She recounts performing at talent shows, looking down at the floor while the backing track played too loudly.
But she refused to give up on her ambition, telling herself, “you have to work around this, you have to try and find the courage and the confidence somewhere”.
It wasn’t until secondary school that she really found her voice. She was head girl and enjoyed debating in class, which helped build up her confidence. But despite being academic, she knew she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a musician.
“There was always a voice inside of me, something inside of me, telling me you’re going to do this. You’re going to make it. You’re gonna be a pop-star.”
But where does she get her grit and determination from? “I had serious delusion,” Leigh-Anne said: “I had a lot of people doubting me from my hometown.”
But upon reflection, Leigh-Anne believes that the doubters have spurred her on to become who she is today. “If I didn’t have that sort of fearlessness to go for my dream I wouldn’t be here now.”
“I’m passionate about saying it as it is”
Leigh-Anne’s journey to stardom began in 2011, when she auditioned as a soloist for The X-Factor, performing the song Only Girl (In the World) by her idol, Rihanna.
She recalls the ‘surreal’ experience of walking on stage, seeing the judges in front of her and feeling like she was watching television. “It did not feel like it was real.”
After her audition, Leigh-Anne was one of four singers to join the girl group Little Mix, and went on to win the show. The group would later achieve five UK Number One singles, including Wings, Black Magic and Shout Out To My Ex. Little Mix have had more than 20 billion total streams worldwide.
But their success was never smooth sailing and being in a girl group meant having to overcome the stigmas that came along with it.
“I remember we would fight and fight for credibility,” she said, “we had to work so hard, harder than a lot of boy bands”.
Looking back now, Leigh-Anne tells Bitesize she is proud of the success and accolades that the group were able to achieve together.
Leigh-Anne hasn’t shied away from speaking about the importance of sisterhood and sticking together, especially in an industry where women and girls are often pitted against each other.
Despite announcing their hiatus in 2022, Leigh-Anne and her fellow Little Mix bandmates still have each others’ backs.
“I love my girls so much,” she said. “I love my sisters and the fact that we do still support each other now and we always will and just [be] really proud of each other.”
“Being representation for mixed and black girls means everything”
Over the years, Leigh-Anne has also been vocal about her experiences in the music industry as a black woman. For her, this means using her platform in order to speak up for others who may not be able to.
“If I’m here for any purpose, one of the biggest ones is for representation, for mixed and black girls and I think it’s important that I speak up and talk about these issues that are still very much ongoing now,”
“Racism is still very much rife and we need to keep talking about it.”
After over a decade in Little Mix, Leigh-Anne is now embarking on a solo career, where she can express her individuality as an artist.
“For me, it’s literally about doing me. Being the most authentic version of me and that’s why I’m relieved my album is now out and it tells my story.”
The album is rooted in her Jamaican and Bajan heritage and blends genres like reggae, R&B and pop. After working on the project for four years, Leigh-Anne is ready to show who she is as an artist. How does it feel that it’s now finally out in the open?
“It feels a bit more like breathing,” she told us. “I don’t have to try to be anything I'm not or I don’t have to force anything, it's literally just me, and I can be, and that is such an amazing, freeing thing.”
This article was published in February 2026
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