JADE

JADE did not come to play. The Little Mix starlet’s debut single, ‘Angel Of My Dreams’, is absolutely worth the wait. The Mike Sabath produced pop banger makes Thirlwall the final member of Britain’s biggest girl group to release solo music and truly affirms the age old saying of ‘save the best till last’.

‘Angel Of My Dreams’ is as bold lyrically as it is sonically. In homage to JADE’s large LGBTQ+ following, fans have been left ‘gagged’ by the first verse in particular, specifically where the singer references ‘selling her soul’ to a money-orientated ‘psycho’. For lifelong ‘mixers’, it’s obvious who this lyric is in reference to. However, for those who aren’t pop culture enthusiasts, the ‘psycho’ in question is none other than Mr Simon Cowell. In the two years prior to their hiatus, Little Mix had a turbulent relationship with the music mogul, eventually having to switch labels in the days before the release of their fifth studio album due to disagreements between the band and ‘SYCO Music’, Cowell’s record company. And yes, ‘SYCO’ is pronounced ‘psycho’ - making the verse a little less subtle.

The electronica influenced track explores what JADE has described on her socials as her ‘love and hate relationship with the music industry’ - making the song as authentic as it is catchy. Sonically, ‘Angel Of My Dreams’ is a rollercoaster. Straight from the get go, you hear that Sandie Shaw ‘Puppet on a String’ sample overlayed by Thirlwall’s richly distinctive vocals.

Seconds later, there’s that production heavy beat drop the singer has been teasing across TikTok for the last two weeks. The transitions are unexpected, but somehow work really well to create this body of work indisputably capable of scoring Thirlwall a top ten debut on the official UK charts.

In a recent interview, JADE expressed her desire to make sure her first release didn’t ‘play it safe’. Well JADE, you certainly didn’t. A really, really strong record completely exceeding all expectations. My easiest five stars of this year.