Jesy Nelson is spilling the tea on the current relationship — or lack thereof — between herself and her Little Mix ex-bandmates following her departure in December 2020.
Speaking to The Sun about her newly released single "Bad Thing," the singer-songwriter opened up about why she left the band and where her relationship with former bandmates Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock stands. (The rest of the women unfollowed Nelson on social media in October 2021.)
"Being in a girl band, you are a machine going all the time," she told the outlet. "You don't have a minute to breathe and take time out if you just need space. That was something I struggled with."
"For me my mental health issues were an ongoing thing while I was in Little Mix. I was struggling with my body issues, I was constantly being trolled – and I really, really struggled with it," she added.
Nelson said that it got to a point where she "couldn't enjoy the good parts."
"I needed support and help to overcome that, and there wasn't the time while I was in the band," she said. "I don't have any regrets because I had to do what was right for me and I will always cherish the memories I had in Little Mix."
The singer also revealed that she has not spoken to her former bandmates since the split, though she wishes them "the best" on their journeys.
She concluded, "Time has been about rebuilding myself, regaining my confidence, going to therapy and talking about it all openly. I think whenever you are at a low point, you always think, do what makes you happy — and music is what makes me happy and that is all I want to do."
Nelson announced she was leaving the band in a statement in December 2020.
"The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard," she wrote at the time. "There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process."
"So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I'm announcing I'm leaving Little Mix," she added.
In October 2021, she opened up about her departure from the group during an interview with Glamour UK.
"It is weird because for so many years we were as close as sisters, together every hour of the day for weeks, sharing beds, laughing, crying just 24/7 the four of us together and then…Nothing," she said in the interview.
When asked if she had seen Edwards and Pinnock's babies, who both welcomed their first children that August, Nelson said she had not. (Pinnock gave birth to twins, while Edwards welcomed baby boy Axel.)
"We've sent a few texts, but that's it. I can't explain it, it's like there has to be this distance," Nelson said. "We were so close so you can't do in-between, there has to be space and hopefully at some point in the future, we can all come back together."
Since her departure, Nelson released a collaboration with Nicki Minaj called "Boyz" — which prompted backlash from many Black social media users that accused her of blackfishing — in 2021. Her latest single "Bad Thing" is out now.
