

For a group that has never gone more than two years between studio albums, even during the pandemic, Thirlwall says a greatest-hits project offered the trio a chance to hit the pause button.

So they’ve powered on as a trio, plotting a U.K.-Ireland tour for 2022 and continuing to release new music at their usual steady pace - since Confetti, they’ve released five singles and videos alone, on top of readying a handful of new tracks for Between Us. I just feel a calm energy with the three of us now. “We’re at the point now where we’re grown women, we’re all very confident in our own skin, and we know exactly who we are now, individually as well as within the group. “Watching the girls and myself, I feel like this is the year we’ve come into our own,” Thirlwall says, as Pinnock nods in agreement. So far, the group has so far refrained from commenting about the controversies in detail in conversation with Billboard, they don’t speak of Nelson’s departure, only framing the past few months in terms of their personal growth. Little Mix Break Silence on Jesy Nelson Split: 'We Don't Really Want to Dwell' (Since then, Nelson has said she has “no bad blood” with the remaining members.)

After critics accused Nelson of “blackfishing” and promoting racial stereotypes in the song and video, she joined Minaj for an Instagram Live session, in which she said her groupmates never approached her with concerns about her appearance until their very last video shoot in turn, Minaj went after other members of the group in both the Live chat and on social media, referring to them as “jealous” and “clown” and accusing Little Mix of “bullying” Nelson. When she launched her solo career this fall with the Diddy-sampling Nicki Minaj collaboration “Boyz,” however, things got more complicated. Late last year, not long after releasing their sixth album, Confetti, Jesy Nelson announced she was quitting Little Mix, explaining that the pressures of being in a girl group were taking too much of a toll on her mental health. That Little Mix would describe 2021 in such glowing terms may come as a surprise to some, given the other big change the group recently went through - becoming a trio - and the tumult that followed. We’ve grown so much, and so many beautiful things have happened for everybody. Being a mom is the most incredible, beautiful blessing, and I genuinely don’t have the words for it,” Pinnock says. “You can never prepare yourself for how your life’s going to change. Little Mix Celebrate 10th Anniversary By Announcing New Album 'Between Us'
