Perrie Edwards: ‘Parting ways with someone can be a scary thing’

Pop singer Perrie Edwards has opened up about the inspiration behind her brand new single, “You Go Your Way”, as she reflected on her rise to fame as a member of the girl group Little Mix.

Edwards, who goes by Perrie as a solo artist, shared the new track on Friday (4 October) along with a music video directed by Charlie Di Placido, known for his work with Mercury Prize-shortlisted band Jungle.

Speaking to The Independent in an exclusive filmed interview, Edwards, 31, revealed that the track was inspired by a moment early on in her relationship with fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“When Alex and I first got together, it was very early days but I was obsessed with him,” she admitted.

“We really liked each other, but [Little Mix] were going on tour with Ariana Grande in America for two-and-a-half months, and I just thought this is too fresh to be putting on him now.

“So I just said, instead of waiting for me, you go your way, I’ll go mine…”

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Edwards said that Oxlade-Chamberlain was “appalled” by that suggestion: “He said ‘Ew, that’s gross. You’re my girlfriend.’”

She continued: “So my story had a happy ending but people are definitely taking this song in all different ways. Some people are seeing it as their friendships they don’t have anymore… it’s just about parting ways with somebody and that can be a scary thing at first.”

Edwards’ former Little Mix bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall have been sharing their support of “You Go Your Way” on social media, with both singers posting messages on her Instagram posts promoting the track.

“I think we all just get excited for each other’s stuff, and it’s all so different as well which is fun,” Edwards said.

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Thirlwall received critical praise for her debut solo single “Angel of My Dreams”, released in July this year, while Pinnock shared her first EP, No Hard Feelings, in May.

“We were always so individual in the band anyway which is why, if you think about it, Little Mix has such a variety of sounds. It’s different genres – it’s pop, but it’s influenced by so much… and then now that we’ve gone solo it’s like we’ve really gone for what we wanted to do,” Edwards explained.

Speaking about their rise to fame as one of the UK’s biggest ever pop groups, she confessed that much of their heyday “didn’t feel like it was actually happening”.

Little Mix formed in 2011 on TV contest series The X Factor with original members Edwards, Pinnock, Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson, who quit the group in 2020. The remaining members announced an indefinite hiatus in 2021 but assured fans that they were not breaking up for good.

“We literally spread ourselves so far and wide, we wanted to prove to people that we could do it,” Edwards said.

“We achieved so much, we toured the world, we sold millions of albums, we got No 1s. It was a lot. But I think stepping back we can all look at it and think, ‘Oh my gosh, that was wild.’”

One of the issues Edwards had to deal with was her struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, something she has been open about over the years.

“It is a journey,” she acknowledged. “It comes in waves, sometimes it’s manageable, sometimes it’s overwhelming.”

She credited her partner with helping her confidence and offering her support whenever she needs it: “He’s always got my back, he’ll be like, ‘I’ll do the conversation if you want,’ or ‘I’ll be there for you if you want,’ and I think I kind of needed him to push me a little bit, to be more confident.”

As for more music: her forthcoming debut solo album is “pretty much finished”, she revealed, but she has to stop herself from trying to make more changes “or I’m going to start missing deadlines”.

“I would love [to tour],” she responded, when asked if fans can expect an announcement for live shows in the coming months. “My dream and the reason I love doing this is to do live shows, that’s where I’m in my happy place.”

‘You Go Your Way’, the new single by Perrie, is out now.