Little Mix

Jem Mitchell*
After next spring's Confetti tour they are taking a temporary powder.

Little Mix are taking a lil break. The British R&B trio announced on Thursday (Dec. 2) that after a decade together they are taking a powder after their upcoming 2022 Confetti tour, but they promise that this is not the last you’ll hear from them.

“We’re sisters and we’ll always have each other and you, the fans, in our lives. Little Mix is forever. See you on tour!,” members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards said in a statement about their upcoming dates, slated to kick off on April 9 in Belfast. “We wanted to let you all know that after the Confetti tour in April/May next year we are going to be taking a break from Little Mix. It’s been 10 amazing years, a wonderful non-stop adventure, and we feel the time is right to take a break so we can recharge and work on some other projects.”

The trio — whose former fourth member, Jesy Nelson, left the band last year — released the greatest hits collection Between Us last month as a follow up to last November’s Confetti album. “We can’t thank you enough for your love and never-ending support since the beginning. We love you all SO much.”

To be clear, though, they re-affirmed that they are not splitting up — “Little Mix are here to stay” — and that they have plans for more unspecified music and performances in the future. “We’ve made so many incredible memories with you all, and we can’t wait to make so many more.”

The group burst on the scene in 2011 after winning the British version of The X Factor and scored a series of UK hits with songs including “Cannonball,” “Wings,” “Black Magic” and Shout Out to My Ex; their studio albums include DNA (2012), Salute (2013), Get Weird (2015), Glory Days (2016), LM5 (2018) and Confetti (2020). They scored their fifth No. 1 UK single in January with the song “Sweet Melody,” but were forced to postpone the Confetti Tour in February due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Pinnock and Edwards both welcomed their first children over this summer.

Check out Little Mix’s hiatus announcement below.

 

Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.

The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.

CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.

Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.

“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”

CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”

Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.

 

Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.

In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.

Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”

“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”

Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.

When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”

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