By Liana Weston
There certainly isn't anything little about Little Mix. The four-piece Brit girl group composed of Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards were the first band ever to be crowned the winners of "X Factor" UK. Since then, they've released their hit debut album "DNA," soared to the top of the charts, and began to sell out a UK tour. Perrie Edwards took a note out of her jam-packed musical schedule to chat with Teen Vogue about the group's distinctive sound, the advice One Direction gave them (Zayn Malik happens to be her boy toy) and their determination to take on the world -- one little mixer at a time!
Is it hard to believe that it's only been two years since you've won the "X Factor"?"Oh gosh, yes! It's been going really fast and it's scary, but it's so amazing! We're doing a tour, and then we've just got loads of promo and everything like that. A lot is coming up and it's so exciting."
What exactly is the Little Mix sound? Can you describe the style of your debut album?"It's a mix of everything. Our album is full of both fun and meaningful songs, there's something on there for everyone: fast songs that you prefer when you need to go out with all of your girlfriends, or you can put it on when you're getting ready, and then emotional songs too. We've all got massive tastes in music! Jesy is into R&B, Leigh-Anne likes old school slow jams, and Jade is into all different kinds of things. So, it's good because it merges everything together for the album."
Where did your love of music come from? Did you always want to be a singer?"I definitely always wanted to be a singer and a performer. I think I got it from my parents because my dad's a singer and my mom's a singer, so it kind of runs in the family and I just thought it was normal. But, I never really had the confidence to do it until my mom made me go on the show. I'm glad for my mom making me do the X Factor."
How has life changed since you and Zayn Malik have become a couple and Little Mix has gained international success?"It's quite scary to be all over the papers and to be on the front pages of the magazines. It's hard, but it's something that just comes with the territory in the industry and after a while you get used to it. Lucky for us, we're in a girl group, so I've got three other girls to fall back on!"
You have such a fun and playful style! Do you have any shopping favorites?"I like vintage shops mainly, because then you can get one-of-a-kind pieces. I love Topshop and I love American Apparel, things like that. I also love Urban Outfitters! When I was in New York and went to Urban Outfitters, I honestly nearly died because of how good it was."
Can you share any crazy fan stories from being on the road?"I wouldn't say crazy, but I'd say we do have a lot of moments where we're all overwhelmed by the reaction of how many fans there are. When we pull out of venues and they're all standing there, it's really amazing for us to have that fan base. Our fans are just so amazing and supportive! We're really thankful."
What advice do you have for those trying to make it in the industry?"I'd say just go for it, because you never know. I didn't want to go for the X Factor because I just thought people were going to laugh and take me off the stage. You just got to go for it because what's the worst that can happen?"
Have the boys from One Direction given you any post X Factor advice?"Especially after the X Factor, they all gave us advice. They just said, 'You have to enjoy what you do and you have to be confident. You have to work your bum off and just go for it because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. The day that you stop enjoying it is the day that it's going to get hard for you.' But we're just loving it, so we're really thankful for everything."
Where do you see Little Mix in 10 years?"Hopefully Little Mix will be as successful as we possibly can be, and we're hoping we do get a chance to go international and come to America. It's going to be hard work to get there, but we're willing to work for it!"
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