It’s now been three years since Little Mix began their ongoing hiatus, and over a year since Jade Thirlwall released her experimental debut solo single Angel from My Dreams.
Since then, Jade has won her first Solo Brit Award (as well as delivering the night’s standout performance), delivered show-stopping sets at festivals such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Glastonbury and Mighty Hoopla, opened for an hour on Chappell Roan’s tour, and bounced from genre to genre to follow the likes of It Girl, Fantasy Box.
After months of building hype, Jade’s long-awaited solo album, Showbiz Baby!, finally premiered on Friday, lifting the lid on her past experiences in the music industry, as well as exploring topics like modern romance and delving into some personal relationships.
Even when she was still in the small mix, the bar was set pretty high when it came to Jade’s solo music, and as time has gone on, many have questioned whether she – or anyone, really – would ever live up to those expectations.
Well, judging by the reviews on Who’s the Babe of Showbiz!, she’s gone and done it.
Critics have praised Jade for her all-out, all-out, and all-out approach to making her first solo album, as well as her lyricism and vocal performance in a sea of four-star reviews (indeed, the only one we could find that wasn’t four stars was actually a perfect score).
Here’s a selection of what’s being said about Jade’s That’s Showbiz Baby! So far…
“It’s a showbiz baby in its moments of bravura! It sounds like Jade, holding the spotlight in breathtaking light after dazzling turn, has no idea how she pretty much pulled it off, letting pretend contenders do it.”
“The South Shields singer has more experience than most artists on her debut album, considering she’s been a member of Little Mix for over a decade and has been moving around the music industry since she was 18. But look no further and you’ll realise how cleverly she understands and uses her craft, how she plays with trends and genres to truly make them her own.”
“It’s Showbiz Baby!, Jade’s first album in her own right, isn’t quite as wall-to-wall [with lead single Angel Of My Dreams] – but it’s a fun, effervescent pop album that sees the Simon Cowell mentee revel in the unpredictable abandon of the dance floor and her own power. She balances her vocal range, which can range from full-on belting to clouds in the COO.”
Jmenternational via Getty Images
“It’s showbiz babe! Channeling sensuality, anger and freedom, Jade takes sonic cues from her diva elders Diana Ross, Madonna and Janet Jackson, as well as younger visionaries like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish. Her penchant for pop-rock, which shapes her musical education, has shaped a distinctive, dazzling original record.
“The top babes in showbiz! Are so excitingly nuts that it’s hard not to be all in on the idea of [Jade] as Britain’s Galaxy-Bred Pestor of Pop—at least after album two rolls around.”
“It’s a showbiz baby! It’s a fantastically confident debut that manages to feel deep with its heavy dance influences. Most poignantly, with that soprano cry (her vocals are outstanding), it’s already idiosyncratic, even as Jade pays her dues to old and new. Continuing solo projects.
“It’s the baby of show business! There must be new artists breaking out. This debut shows a woman free to make the music she wants, and boy does she do it well. She can put on a mask for any style she likes, but we always know the artist is underneath – never lost in a costume, always in control.”
“Hers was such a consistent run of quality singles that you couldn’t help but wonder – has Jade already played all the best ones in her hand?
