Jade Thirlwall

Background

British singer Jade Thirlwall has held fans and critics in awe for more than a decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Born Jade Amelia Thirlwall on December 26, 1992, in South Shields, England, she is the daughter of Norma Badwi and James Thirlwall. She has one older brother, Karl. Thirlwall’s zodiac sign is Capricorn and she’s of Egyptian-Yemeni descent. Fluent in Arabic, Thirlwall has a deep desire to travel to the Middle East to understand her origins. Her interest in performing began at a young age when she attended the Performers Stage Community School as a child and later St. Wilfred’s Community College. She began performing in clubs and bars at age 16.

Having auditioned for “The X Factor” three times, Thirlwall was catapulted to stardom when her group Little Mix won the eighth season in 2011. The band, now one of the best-selling girl bands of all time, has released several albums, won many awards — including seven M.T.V. Europe Awards — and has toured extensively. As of 2022, Little Mix is on an official hiatus to allow the band members to explore solo career opportunities. Thirlwall is making good use of this hiatus by signing a solo deal with R.C.A. Records, focusing on her eyeshadow cosmetics line with Beauty Bar, running her two bars — Areiba and Industry — in her hometown, and being an ally to the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community.

In 2020, Thirlwall was awarded the Equality Award at the Ethnicity Awards for her work toward racial equality. In her spare time, the singer often travels back home to South Shields or enjoys vacations with her friends to idyllic destinations like Ibiza. She’s particularly close to her mom, and once treated her to a trip to Las Vegas to watch their favorite singer Diana Ross perform. A keen philanthropist, Thirlwall spends each birthday participating in the Boxing Day Dip in South Shields to raise money for the Cancer Connections charity. Thirlwall currently lives with her boyfriend Jordan Stephens.