It’s no mistake that JADE’s debut solo album THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! is a thoroughly poptacular affair. “I live and breathe pop, I always have done,” she tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen to her full interview, below). “I just am obsessed with it.”
Billboard has called the album “a distinct, dazzlingly ornate record” that takes sonic cues from divas like Diana Ross, Madonna and Janet Jackson, and demonstrates the breadth of her “taste as a pop student and skills as a wide-ranging vocal dynamo.”
JADE first made her mark on the pop landscape as Jade Thirlwall, a member of the British girl group Little Mix. The ensemble was formed in 2011 on the U.K. reality competition program The X Factor and notched numerous hit albums on both sides of the Atlantic, including a whopping 19 top 10-charted hits on the U.K. Official Singles Chart. In 2022, the act went on hiatus while the individual members explored solo endeavors.
Fast-forward to 2024, and JADE’s debut solo single “Angel of My Dreams” hit No. 7 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart. She followed it with another top 40 hit in “FUFN (F— You For Now)” this past March, and won her first solo BRIT Award for Best Pop Act that same month. Through the summertime, JADE played major festivals including Glastonbury, and opened for Chappell Roan in Edinburgh. Her THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! – THE TOUR kicks off Oct. 8 in Dublin and continues on into the U.K. through Oct. 22 in London, which she has “hope” will come to the U.S.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast caught up with JADE quite literally a few hours before THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! was released on Sept. 12. Here are some excerpts of her chat with the podcast, which you can listen to in full below.
On when the writing process for the album began.
The album writing process started, I think, like three years ago now, right off the back of the Little Mix hiatus. I went straight into the studio, writing nonstop, figuring out what my sound was on my own. And then I think just over, maybe, a year and a half ago was when “Angel of My Dreams” was written. And I think once that happened, that kind of became the catalyst for what the album would be, and everything just fell into place from that point onwards.
How she’s staying in the moment and celebrating the album’s arrival.
In the next few weeks, I just want to be super present with this record. It’s something I’m so proud of and waited a long time for. And I want it to feel like a celebration between me and my fans and see as many of them as possible. And I think in this job, in this music industry, you’re constantly on the move, and you can easily just sort of get swept up in all the politics and the promotion and marketing and all that stuff. And just forget that actually it’s really f—ing cool. And you are able to just make an album, and you should take time to be proud of that and be present for it.
On how SHOWBIZ has an “element of chaos.”
And then I think the album itself has an element of chaos to it, just sonically. And each song is different to the next. I consciously didn’t want it to be a super cohesive or conceptualized album, because the truth is that I was experimenting for this and trying different sounds, figuring out who I am. So I wanted the album to literally sound like that. And with songs like “Angel of My Dreams” or “It Girl,” and, you know, even to “Fantasy,” every song has its own identity. And I guess that’s where the kind of chaos of the record lies. I feel like you can hear it … so that day she was, she was trying this sound, and she was merging these genres. It’s a very sort of experimental pop record, I would say.
On JADE’s love of pop music.
I live and breathe pop. I always have done. I just am obsessed with it. And I’ve done a lot of research. Ever since I was a little girl, it’s always been something I’ve been obsessed with — not just the music, but, like, just every part of it. Like, I’d have the dolls of my favorite artists, and the CDs, and I’d open it up, and I’d look at all the credits and the lyrics and take it all in and study the artwork and the videos. So for me, the best pop artists are the ones that don’t just focus on the music and they see it as a whole brand, I suppose. And so I have a lot of fun with that. And, you know, making a pop record that feels very visual, too. So, yeah, I always knew, and I always will be like a pop girly. But, it was interesting, and it was essential to sort of find out what the JADE sound is. And, like, how do I stand out and make my mark in the pop world?
Did the genesis of SHOWBIZ begin before Little Mix went on hiatus?
I think, like musically, I kind of had an inkling of where I might go. There was a song I wrote for the girls on our fifth album called “Wasabi,” and it kind of became a fan favorite, and it became almost known as like, as my song within the group. And so, I kind of knew that that would be a good starting point. But I think lyrically, it wasn’t until after, I think because I was so used to writing lyrics that were very universal or very relatable for everyone, because in a group you can’t be too personal. It’s not just about you. So, it wasn’t until afterwards, when I was in rooms on my own, and getting more confident and sort of realizing, oh, I actually can just literally write about anything now, and I can be, almost uncomfortably honest at times with, like, my own experience.
On her love of Madonna.
She is one of the best pop stars we will ever get. She reinvents herself with every era, which I find hugely inspiring. As someone that wants a long career, for me, Madonna is the epitome of longevity as a pop artist, and I think that’s when you are so sure of who you are, and you speak up and speak out for things you feel passionate about. I watched her documentaries as a teenager, and I always respected that she wasn’t afraid to be controversial, or afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. So, I’ve took that with me as a solo artist.
On what to expect from her THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! tour.
I think my THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY concert will play on that sort of theatrical theme. And I’m actually really excited to be in theaters, because it means I can really delve into taking advantage of those stages and making it almost feel like a musical theater production or a cabaret show. So I’m very excited for that. And, all the songs are all very different. So it’s going to make for a, well, a show that won’t be boring. (Laughs.) You know, obviously I love to go in with the costumes, and we’ll have the band and the choreography. So, yeah, I’m really working hard with my creative director on how we make this smaller stage feel like you’ve entered my world and you leave there being like, ‘Oh, fuck, you know, she really made that work.’
Could the tour visit America?
I think so. Yeah, I hope so. We hope so. We’re all putting our heads together of how to make this work. Because I really, really want to get over to the U.S. and do shows there and in Europe and just everywhere. You know, it’s always been a dream of mine to be able to say that I’m doing my own headline show, whatever that is.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
