One Direction Fuel Little Mix's Plans For U.S. Domination: Girl Power!
"X Factor" finalists Fifth Harmony might want to take some notes from Little Mix, a girl group that showed they can win "X Factor." Back in 2011, the foursome managed to take it all when they competed on the U.K. version of the series. Since being crowned the champs, they've had loads of success in their native U.K., including several chart-topping singles and a hit debut album, DNA, which they dropped last month.
Oh, yeah, they also happen to be besties with One Direction. They all not only met thanks to their "X Factor" ties, but also because member Perrie Edwards is dating Zayn Malik. But, that tidbit hasn't soured 1D's legion of female fans from scooping up the girls' music. In fact, they say, there's a lot of crossover.
"I think when we were on the 'X Factor,' anyway, a lot of our fans were One Direction fans before Perrie and Zayn even got together," Jade Thirlwall told MTV News on Thursday. "So we already had a lot of support from the 1D fans. And I think when Perrie and Zayn did get together, everyone was supportive of it and really kind of happy that two of their favorite bands were kind of getting together. But, yeah we have a lot of fans, whether it be One Direction ones or not."
As the girl group prepares to bring their music Stateside in 2013, they are hoping though that some of the U.S.'s love for 1D carries over to them. "I think like One Direction really opened the gate. With them, artists like Adele coming through America, it's been such a British year," Jade added. "With the Olympics and the whole royal family thing and all that stuff, I think everyone's just jumping on board Britain at the moment. It's nice to see and hopefully they'll still be waiting for us come next year."
While it's been quite the banner year for boy bands thanks to the success of 1D and The Wanted, Jesy Nelson hopes that next year will be all about the girls. She said, "Obviously the boys had been dominating this year and it's about time we get girl power in there. So that's our aim for next year."
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J-14 Exclusive: Little Mix Talk One Direction, Taylor Swift, and Winning 'The X Factor UK'
The hottest new girl band in the world is also the first group EVER to win The X Factor UK. Made up of Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards, this Brit girl group phenomenon have already had two hit songs overseas -- "Wings" and "DNA" -- and brought down the house with their incredible 'X Factor UK' finale performance of "Cannonball" in late 2011 (only moments before being crowned champs!). J-14 had the chance to chat with Jade, Jesy, and Leigh-Anne this morning -- Perrie was home sick with tonsillitis! -- and the girls were happy to dish on all things 'X Factor UK,' working with One Direction, and (sadly!) missing out on meeting Taylor Swift during their Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball performance this past weekend! MeetLittle Mix!
J-14: You all auditioned as solo artists, but then were sent home and brought back as a group. What was that experience like?
Jade: We were sent home as individual artists and then the three of us got put into a group first. And then we told 'no.' And then we got put into separate groups. And then told 'no.' And then finally we were put into Little Mix. It was a bit of a crazy time!
Leigh-Anne: I think they had to go through all that process of finding who was supposed to be in what groups, and who would be in Little Mix. And it couldn't have gone better.
Jade: I'd actually already auditioned for 'The X Factor' twice before and made it through to bootcamp -- but I thought, maybe the third time is lucky! And it was!
J-14: What was your most memorable performance from the show?
Jesy: "Don't Let Go." It was when we got noticed properly as a group. It was when people started to say, 'Oh, these girls could have a chance of winning this.'
Leigh-Anne: For me, it was the first live show. Gary Barlow, one of the judges, actually said we were one of the best girl bands to ever be on 'The X Factor.' We were so nervous -- girls bands hadn't done well in the past -- and to hear that from Gary was just amazing.
J-14: You girls are obviously quite connected to One Direction -- Perrie is dating 1D's Zayn Malik! -- so have they ever offered you any advice?
Jade: When One Direction came on the show, they helped us out with a bit of advice. It was really nice to get support from bands that had been there and done it. It's nice to see One Direction so humble. Those boys are just so down to earth, so normal, and they work really hard for what they've achieved. So, we've definitely learned a lot from them.
J-14: Any chance of a 1D/Little Mix collaboration in the future?
Jade: I think we've got two different sounds, haven't we? But we could do a mash-up of something, that'd be quite cool.
J-14: Tell us about performing at the Jingle Bell Ball in Manchester, UK, this past weekend! We hear Taylor Swift was there supporting rumored BF Harry Styles -- did you get to meet her at all?
Jesy: It was absolutely amazing. But it was a little bit weird singing without Perrie [who was sick] and it felt quite empty on stage. The crowd was absolutely immense. They were all singing along to "Wings." It was incredible.
Jade: But we didn't get a chance to [talk to Taylor Swift]. We knew she was there and we bumped into a couple of the One Direction boys, but we didn't get to see Taylor. I'm really happy for her, so it would've been nice to meet her.
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