Leigh-Anne Pinnock seemed meant for the kind of worldwide success most performers could only dream of when she first stepped into the spotlight as a member of Little Mix. For more than ten years, the British girl group dominated the charts and performed on stages across the globe. But when Little Mix decided to go on hiatus, Leigh-Anne was left to step into the light and come out from the overwhelming shadow of Little Mix’s success.
Early Success and the First Solo Steps
Emerging from Little Mix’s worldwide success, it was time for Leigh-Anne to start her personal journey as an artist. Soon after the band’s Confetti Tour ended, she signed with Warner Records and released her first solo song, “Don’t Say Love,” in 2023. This debut performed fairly well in the U.K. and really made people start to pay attention to Leigh-Anne. Soon after that, she released her first solo EP, No Hard Feelings, in 2024, featuring the Nigerian rising star, Ayra Starr. Though this release helped Leigh-Anne to gain more momentum, the shift was not flawless.
The Struggle for Creative Autonomy
In early 2025, Leigh-Anne made the decision to leave Warner Records, publicly claiming the label lacked the budget and desire to support her first album and help bring her vision to life, and she no longer felt that staying in an environment that would restrict her creative freedom would be beneficial to her career.
This choice led Leigh-Anne down a road as an artist that she best describes as her “getting back [her] control,” leading her to where she is now.
My Ego Told Me To: An Album of Reckoning
Leigh-Anne’s first solo album, My Ego Instructed Me To, dropped in this month with the support of her new label, Virgin Music Group, which falls under the Universal Music Group umbrella. This album served as a powerful statement of identity, where Leigh-Anne boldly speaks about reclaiming her confidence and her growth as an artist.
The album has great personality. Songs like “Dead and Gone” truly show that Leigh-Anne is done playing it safe and bowing to the expectations of others. The album is very diverse sonically, with some songs leaning more into pop and R&B, while other tracks are more infectious, making you want to move with their strong dancehall and reggae influence, pointing to Leigh-Anne’s Bajan and Jamaican ancestry.
Many fans and critics alike have praised the richness and authenticity of her vocal delivery, the strong songwriting, and how completely unique she is.
Reclaiming Power Through Independence
Leigh-Anne’s transition to independence as an artist is truly empowering, especially seeing how it was the people around her who helped her step into this newfound independence. In interviews, she has spoken openly about how having creative control and having the support of such a great team around her has enabled her to embrace vulnerability and discuss subjects like relationships, life, heritage, and personal development without restraint.
Freedom, Identity, and Impact
As My Ego Told Me To continue to speak to listeners, Leigh-Anne is preparing to set out on her European tour. She is now an artist creating her own story according to her own terms.
She is not just “Leigh-Anne from Little Mix”.
Leigh-Anne is creating a legacy through her art that shows the growth she had through her decade-long experience in the industry and the cultivated strength and confidence she had to fight for. The intentionality behind the making of this album shows that she has succeeded in her goal.
