Jesy Nelson

Before launching her solo career, singer Jesy Nelson garnered fame as a member of the British girl group Little Mix. With her soulful soprano voice, Nelson distinguished herself in Little Mix, helping each of the group's first six albums reach the Top Five in the U.K. Following her departure from the band, Nelson hit the Top 40 in the U.K. with the pop- and R&B-infused single "Boyz," featuring Nicki Minaj. Jessica Louise Nelson was born in 1991 and grew up in Romford, East London where she became interested in performing at a young age. She studied dance at the Sylvia Young Theatre school and got small, uncredited roles in films like About a Boy and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While working as a barmaid, she successfully auditioned for the eighth season of the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2011. However, during the show's bootcamp stage she was paired in a group with fellow singers Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock; all of whom had originally auditioned as solo artists. Dubbing themselves Little Mix, the foursome eventually went on to triumph over Marcus Collins in the finale. Their debut album, DNA, arrived in 2012 and spawned the U.K. number one hits "Cannonball" (a rendition of Damien Rice's song) and "Wings." One of the highest-charting debut albums ever by a British female group, it reached number three in the U.K. and number four on the Billboard 200. With Little Mix, Nelson released five more albums, including 2013's Salute, 2015's Get Weird, 2016's Glory Days, and 2018's LM5, all of which cracked the Top Five in the U.K. and charted in the Top 40 on the Billboard 200. In 2019, Nelson participated in a BBC documentary about her life, Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, in which she detailed her experiences with online bullying and body image issues. Following the release of Little Mix's sixth album, 2020's U.K. number two-charting Confetti, Nelson left the group citing her need to address her mental and emotional health. In October 2021, she launched her solo career with the Loose Change-produced single "Boyz," featuring rapper Nicki Minaj.
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