JADE has revealed she is already working on new music following the success of her debut solo album That’s Showbiz Baby!.
The former Little Mix star told Laura Fox and Katja Mia on RTÉ 2FM Drive on Friday that she has returned to the studio, although she admitted she is not quite ready to leave her first solo era behind.
“I’ve already been in the studio doing some writing,” she said. “It’s still early days, but I will struggle to say goodbye to That’s Showbiz Baby.”
JADE was speaking ahead of her Electric Picnic debut, where she opened the Main Stage on Friday evening.
Her scheduled 6pm start was pushed back by 30 minutes after torrential rain and thunder hit Stradbally, delaying the Main Stage running order.
Earlier, the singer described Ireland as “one of the best places to perform”, recalling how she began her That’s Showbiz Baby tour at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre last October.
“Every time I get a booking in Dublin or Ireland in general, I’m just like, ‘Oh, thank God’, because you just know the crowd’s always going to be amazing,” she said.
Reflecting on her move from Little Mix to her solo career, JADE said making her debut album had allowed her to show audiences more of who she was as an artist.
“Being a solo artist meant I could finally really tell everyone my story, who I am, what kind of music I want to write, what kind of performer I am on my own.”
She said the support she had received since going solo had been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
“It’s like people have been rooting for us to do well,” she said. “You can really feel that energy, and it helps me a lot.”
JADE also spoke about the Mercury Prize nomination for That’s Showbiz Baby!, admitting the recognition had been particularly meaningful as a pop artist.
“I’m always like, ‘Oh, I don’t even care. I don’t care about awards, don’t care about accolades.’ And then something like that comes in and, like, ‘Oh my God.’ We’re all human. We love being validated.”
She said pop artists do not always expect to be recognised by awards such as the Mercury Prize or the Ivor Novellos because “sometimes pop isn’t deemed cool enough”.
“Pop music is usually, you know, for the girls and the gays,” she said. “And I think pop in the last few years has been undeniable.”
JADE said she “shed a little tear” when she learned of the nomination, describing it as “the best kind of final thing to happen from this era and campaign”.