Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall has shared her latest solo song “Midnight Cowboy”, co-written with RAYE.
The new song follows JADE’s debut solo single “Angel Of My Dreams” which was released on RCA in July. The track hit No.7 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Charts upon release and has accumulated 40 million streams to date.
“Midnight Cowboy” features a spoken-word interlude by Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and includes references to former British Vogue editor Edward Enniful in its lyrics: “I’m the editor, call me Mr Enninful”
Speaking about the song, which was written in 2022, Thirlwall said: “Midnight Cowboy” is a sultry, understated bass heavy bop about owning your sexuality and your talents that come with it.”
Upon the release of “Angel Of My Dreams”, JADE became the final member of Little Mix to embark on a solo career. In 2021 following a decade of performing and touring, the group, composed of Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and formerly Jesy Nelson, called a hiatus to pursue new projects.
The British group have released six studio albums, most recently 2020’s Confetti, and broke various records both in the U.K. and US charts. The band’s 2012 debut album DNA remains the highest chart entry for a debut album by a U.K. girl group on the Billboard 200. Five of their songs have charted at No.1 in the U.K. Singles Charts and nineteen Top 10s.
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, Thirlwall discussed the decision to go solo after years in a group. “This is essentially me starting again, so I don’t even know what it feels like fame-wise on my own. I’m really grateful I started this journey now at my age, because I’m just a lot more level-headed. I couldn’t be a solo artist 10 years ago.”
She also discussed the origins of her debut solo single, which samples Sandie Shaw’s 1967 song “Puppet on a String”.
“Angel of My Dreams” is about my love-hate relationship with the music industry, which I’ve been a part of for quite some time,” she told Billboard’s Megan Mahar. “I have a lot to say about that, good and bad. ‘Angel of My Dreams’ is like a love letter to the Industry and how obsessed I am with it and how much I love it, but with that comes some trials and tribulations.”