JADE moves through conversation the way her music moves through speakers—measured, intentional, magnetic. Every word feels chosen, every pause deliberate. She writes on all her records, and it shows; there’s a precision to her presence, a kindness that never tips into “too much”. What lingers most is the ineffable, an undeniable je ne sais quoi that makes her less an artist you listen to and more a manifestation you experience.
She is a fighter. After fourteen years in the music industry JADE has experienced the cruel realities of record label politics, working with inflated egos, and succumbing to outside influences. Two failed auditions on the television show The X Factor led JADE to being put into Little Mix, with current members, singers Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. From 2011-2019 Little Mix went on to become one of the UK’s most successful girlbands in recent history. With Little Mix, JADE released six albums, earned five number one singles, and toured with artists like Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande. — and she still can’t get enough of show business. With her breakout single “Angel of My Dreams,” JADE cemented herself as a pop star fully living the mythology of pop stardom.
JADE is a ham in the best sense and wholly unafraid of the spotlight. Stepping on the edge of a new era with her debut album THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! JADE opens up to us about navigating “failure”, the stigma around pop stardom, the devotion of superfans, and the unapologetic hunger that drives her forward.
BRANDEN: The title of your new album, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!, is a saying we have in America, maybe you have it across the pond too, it’s like saying, that’s just how the cookie crumbles. And that’s what it means, right? That’s showbiz baby, or, that’s just the way it goes.
JADE: Yes, correct. I feel like that is how I usually use that. I think especially being in the music industry, I’ve been through a lot, good and bad. That’s showbiz baby is the perfect sugar coating of all the trials and tribulations of this business. I love [using] it for small situations or big ones. The phrase, that’s showbiz baby, like you say it’s that, that’s how it is, deal with it vibe.
BRANDEN: Yea, I agree. That phrase can be very dark or very light, right? I used to work at a documentary production studio and sometimes the lights would burn out while we were shooting. We would have to stop the shoot and grab new lights from downstairs. The producers would say, “that’s showbiz.”
JADE: Yeah it’s got a vast use. I love that about it. The album wasn’t originally called that, it was called something else, which I don’t wanna say in case I use it again. The fans steered me in the that’s showbiz baby direction. It’s a lyric in my song “It Girl.”
Standing up presumably to her fight in the well publicized snafu with Simon Cowell. On “It Girl,” JADE becomes a master of the game, only after being played by it—and that’s how ‘it girls’ are made.
JADE: When I released [“It Girl”] the fans really honed in on that specific lyric (“Throw me them roses/well that’s just showbiz baby.”) My visuals always have that dark undertone of the music industry, I’m always a bit tongue in cheek with it in my experiences.
[The fans] snowballed THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!. [They said] “Oh my God, that’s such a good album title.” And I was like, “Yeah, that is a good album title.” So, it naturally evolved into becoming that, thanks to the fans, which I love even more. I love that they pinpointed that out, and they’re right. So much of my music and so much of my visuals are based on showbiz. The dark undertones of [showbiz], the idea that the show must go on [despite] whatever’s going on in your life. I have felt like that for the last fourteen years in the music industry. I love it so much. I also, at times, really resent it. But yeah, that’s showbiz.
BRANDEN: When you’re doing an interview with a musician, they send over all of the press releases and all of the credits for the songs. In the songwriting credits, the person who is named first, does that mean that they contributed most to the writing?
JADE: Not necessarily, I don’t think so. I think it just depends. Sometimes it’s as silly as being in alphabetical order. Sometimes if it’s a huge writer or producer they might put them first just because it looks impressive. I don’t know. I think there’s many reasons for it. I’ve never really thought. I’ve never really delved into that to be honest.
BRANDEN: I’m asking because they sent me the credits for TSB!, and your name is first on all of the songs.
JADE: Well then, yes, that’s why. (Laughs) No, I think that’s just because I’m on every song. I imagine from my team’s perspective it’s good to show people that I do write my own music. Besides maybe one song on the album, it’s very much an equal split in the room. I think the only exception was “Lip Service” but that was because Tove Lo came to me with that song unfinished and then we finished it together. I love collaborating with people.
BRANDEN: Let’s talk about songwriting. To my understanding, this isn’t your first time writing songs, you’ve been songwriting for a long time. What does your process look like?
JADE: It can differ, really. For my own personal music, I write a lot of poetry, sometimes I’ll go into a session with a poem that might spark what the vibe is of the song. I usually know what I want to write about before I go in the room. I think that’s really important, especially when you’re [working] with another writer or you don’t know them that well. It’s good to walk in and know-ish what you want to do. Sometimes I’ll reference other songs as a kind of springboard. It really depends on who you’re working with. A lot of this album I did with Mike Sabbath and Pablo Bowman. Mike works best when you are starting from scratch and he’s on a guitar while we’re figuring out chords together. Then it escalates from there. Especially in pop music, you have to be able to be a bit of a chameleon and read the room and adjust to each room.
“Angel of my Dreams” A brilliant collaboration between JADE and producer Mike Sabath, the lead single is built on the historically unfair treatment and greedy palms that control the music industry. On the record JADE reflects on her contentious relationship with her career. She sounds desperate and crushed until, without notice, the track perks up, introducing an unbothered cunty queen. It’s like watching a news anchor report on a hurricane or a murder with somber and grief, and in two seconds they cheer right back up to break for commercial. JADE released two music videos for “Angel of my Dreams.” One satirical, exaggerated and cheeky, the other a stripped down and sad revelation of a performer tethered to the stage.
JADE: In music, there’s many different egos and personalities. So you have to be good at working around that. Being in Little Mix was very good training for that. We met so many people over the years. Some sessions you love, some you don’t love. For my own music, it was important that I was leading the room and not shrinking too much. I am quite an introverted person. Sometimes in writing rooms there might be a big personality and it’s easy to shrink a little while they’re pushing their ideas or whatever it is.
This whole solo process has been great for me because it’s challenged me to come out of my box and have a bit more confidence in every writing room that I walk into. Which in turn has helped with writing for other artists too, which I also enjoy doing.
BRANDEN: Have you ever fought for your words or a specific phrase in your songs?
JADE: (Laughs) Definitely. I’ve had a few hairy moments. I don’t work well with big egos. Pop artists can be under appreciated or not respected as a writer. You can go into certain rooms with huge writers, and they’re not expecting you to contribute much, or they’re a bit resentful that you’re in the room, things like that. I only surround myself with people that want to be an equal in that space. I’ve had a few bad sessions. On this record, I had a few sessions with big producers who just didn’t turn up.
BRANDEN: Oh no!
JADE: Yeah, and it’s not that uncommon. Coming out of the band didn’t mean that I was gonna be given all these big opportunities overnight. It’s like starting again and you have to graft for it. Especially in LA. You wanna work with these huge producers but then you finally get the opportunity and you’re like, “Oh you’ve let me down a bit.” You’ve either not shown up or you’ve made me feel like I’ve won some prize by getting to be in the room with you. That’s not how the best music is made. On this record I’ve worked with huge producers like Cirkut who is just the loveliest person you can meet. Being respectful and being kind goes a long way in this industry.
BRANDEN: What do you think is up with the unseriousness of pop music? Why is pop music not taken as seriously as other genres?
JADE: I don’t know. It’s such a gripe of mine because I live and breathe pop music. I always have. I grew up loving Motown and disco. I loved as a child all the big pop girlies like Britney, Christina, Janet Jackson.
I think sometimes we forget that the definition of pop music is literally popular music. I think people snub it because [they] think they’re being really cool by going against the grain by not admitting that they love certain pop songs. And don’t get me wrong, there might be some artists that churn out any old pop song and there’s not a lot of thought behind it. But we all need pop music in our lives. I do think it is a savior at times. During COVID, it was pop music that gave me that release and that sanctuary in dark times. Music is incredibly powerful. Pop music, I don’t know, it’s a weird one. I’m noticing now that pop is coming back fiercely, and I’m really enjoying that. I think there’s a bit more freedom to it at the minute especially with female pop artists. We’re seeing a lot of pop girlies, but they’re all in their own different little lanes, which I think is quite cool.
BRANDEN: Like who?
JADE: We’ve got Chappell, we’ve got Charli, Sabrina. Who else, off the top of my head? Tate McRae. I think what’s nice to see now is there’s room for everyone, and there’s room for everyone to have a very definitive identity.
That excites me because ten years ago, especially being in a girl band, sometimes we were almost like a guilty pleasure, or people didn’t want to admit how much they loved us. We always resented that idea. We wrote our music, we worked incredibly hard, and I don’t see why we shouldn’t be given the same level of respect that someone out of another genre would be given.
BRANDEN: Yeah, I remember watching an NSYNC interview on TRL, or one of those MTV shows back in the early 2000s. They were promoting “This Must Be Pop” from Celebrity.
JADE: Oh yeah, I remember that.
BRANDEN: Justin Timberlake was talking about this idea of pop music always being snubbed for other genres. I remember vividly him saying “if you want to be on the radio, that’s pop music!”
JADE: TEA!
BRANDEN: Right, if you want to be on the radio, if you want any type of audience, you are creating pop music.
JADE: You literally are, yeah. That’s what it is. I feel like with TikTok and with other platforms people are having a bit more of a versatile taste. You can’t deny when a bop comes out and it’s an amazing song.
BRANDEN: Would you describe this album as pop music though?
JADE: Yeah, I would. I think parts of it are slightly more left leaning. Some of it’s hyper pop. I drew a lot of inspiration from Motown [and] disco.
This is a kind of Frankenstein pop record. I am literally discovering who I am on my own. I think you can hear that in the album because there is a bit of everything. In my head, there’s time in the future for albums that are super conceptual or have a running thread. But for [TSB!] I wanted people to listen to it and know that I am experimenting and finding out who I am. But that’s still pop, you know?
