Jade Thirlwall’s life outside of Little Mix is still taking shape. Earlier this year, the singer and songwriter shared her debut solo single “Angel of My Dreams,” a theatric commentary on pop stardom and the music industry machine. Her latest release, the dizzying club track “Midnight Cowboy,” creates a musical bridge as she continues building on the world she established with her first single.
“I didn’t want you all to have to wait so long for music again,” Jade wrote on social media yesterday, describing the new release as “a gift from me to you until my next single drops.” And “Midnight Cowboy” is the gift that keeps on giving. The upbeat record features the voice of actor Ncuti Gatwa, who lends his narration to Jade’s late night rides. “Ladies and gentlemen, theys and thems,” he says at the start of the song. “Hold on tight, the performance is about to begin.”
Jade also shared an accompanying visualizer for “Midnight Cowboy.” Directed by Fa & Fon, the clip opens with the return of a character she played in her “Angel of My Dreams” music video. As she strips away her red wig, tinted sunglasses, and leather jacket, Jade dances across a floor of water fountains as paparazzi cameras flash.
“It’s been a crazy couple of months and seeing all the passion for Angel Of My Dreams has felt like such a fantasy,” Jade wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s important to me that i keep sharing my artistry and hard work with the world, so i wanted to drop a track to hold you over until the next single.” The singer revealed that the record was co-written with Raye and Jonah Christian.
She added: “Big ty Ncuti for very jumping on the track – you were perfect. Fa and Fon you smashed this video. Love working with you so much that I didn’t mind freezing my tits off in a fountain in Walthamstow for you.”
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In 2022, Little Mix announced that they would be going on a hiatus while each member pursued solo projects. Leigh-Anne Pinnock released her debut single “Don’t Say Love” in June 2023, while Perrie Edwards launched her solo career in April earlier this year with the bittersweet pop track “Forget About Us.” With “Angel of My Dreams,” Jade was the last member to step out on her own.
“I’m a huge pop fan, and when I look at the pop girlies that I love, they’re the ones that are doing the absolute most. The looks, the choreo, the big songs, big choruses — give it to me! That’s what I want and that’s what I want to deliver,” Jade told Billboard in July. “This is essentially me starting again, so I don’t even know what it feels like fame-wise on my own. I’m really grateful I started this journey now at my age, because I’m just a lot more level-headed. I couldn’t be a solo artist 10 years ago. We’ll see what happens.”