Leigh-Anne has admitted she felt a huge weight of expectation to match the success of Little Mix as she stepped into her solo career.
The Revival singer released her debut album My Ego Told Me To on Friday (20.02.26) and reflected on the pressure she carried into the project.
Speaking to NME, she said the transition from being part of one of the UK’s biggest girl groups to standing alone came with its own set of challenges.
Asked if she felt like she had something to prove, she replied: “Oh my gosh, yes.
“And there were all these expectations over my shoulder to be as successful as the group. Like, what does that even look like? How is that even possible?”
Leigh-Anne, 34, explained that what should have been an exciting new chapter was overshadowed at times by the fear of not living up to Little Mix’s achievements.
She said: “Coming into the solo journey, it should have been one of the funnest times of my life – one of the most amazing times.
“And I shouldn’t have had that pressure, because we’ve done it [as a group]. Like, this is now for me.”
She added that releasing her own music has allowed her to reconnect with what she loves creatively, without the need to match anyone else’s expectations.
Leigh-Anne continued: “Obviously, I want everything to be successful, but this is my chance to do the music that I love. So yeah, I think that was a big thing to get across.”
My Ego Told Me To marks Leigh-Anne’s first full-length project since Little Mix went on hiatus in 2022.
Leigh-Anne had to self-fund the album after leaving her former label Warner Records to fly solo.
She said: “I knew I needed to leave my label and go independent.
“I was kind of butting heads with them, and it just wasn’t good.”
Working with Dua Lipa's producer, Clarence Coffee Jr., was the catalyst for the brutally honest collection.
She explained: “I had so much to get off my chest.
“And because I just felt so safe with [Clarence and his team], I literally told them everything that was going on. And Dead And Gone and Revival came out of that. Both tracks have such a different energy compared to anything I’ve done before – and more confidence as well.”
